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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994417">there's no day off for heroes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/flow3rs/pseuds/flow3rs'>flow3rs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Bisexual Disaster Ricky Bowen (HSM: The Series), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Family Issues, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Ricky Bowen-centric (HSM: The Series), Sexual Tension, Sky High! AU, i have spent so damn long on this please read it</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 03:34:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>49,582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24994417</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/flow3rs/pseuds/flow3rs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>So in the end: Ricky’s girlfriend became his best friend, his best friend became his archenemy, and his archenemy became his boyfriend...</p><p>But hey, that’s high school.</p><p>or</p><p>the sky high au that literally no one asked for.</p><p>[ on indefinite hiatus ]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ricky Bowen/E.J. Caswell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>224</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>176</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. the world don't stop, it's on again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello friends! i am back and better than ever with another fic for this ship. first off, i would like to apologize to anyone who is waiting for me to upload the end of the intentions series bc...this fic has been taking up all of my time LMFAO and i am so invested in it and have wrote almost 30,000 words of it already 😀  ~ah ha ha~ second, i just wanna say that i have never been prouder of a piece of writing that i have created in my life and i truly hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoy writing it.</p><p>this story is based off of the movie Sky High (which is...a truly underrated cinematic masterpiece that i highly recommend) and has scenes taken verbatim from the movie intertwined with things from my own brain. it also includes hints of marvel bc i am mcu ~trash~</p><p>title from 'it's on again' by alicia keys ft. kendrick lamar</p><p>as always, thank you for reading and i hope u all enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>So in the end: Ricky’s girlfriend became his best friend, his best friend became his archenemy, and his archenemy became his boyfriend...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But hey, that’s high school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Let’s take it all back to the beginning...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not easy being the son of two of the greatest superheroes in American history, but Ricky Bowen was used to it by now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was used to seeing Thunderbolt and Starbright on the screen of his tv in the morning, his father summoning lightning from the clouds and reigning down upon criminals in the city while his mother used her chaos magic to apprehend them and fix the damages they had caused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was used to stuffing a spoonful of cheerios into his mouth as he watched his parents being thanked by civilians and leaders, the two of them standing with pride as they repeated the same phrases they said every time they were interviewed by reporters: </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t thank us for doing what’s right!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was used to turning off the tv and rushing out of his house to catch the bus with his ex-turned-best-friend, Nini, so that they could get to school, since his parents were almost always a little too preoccupied with, what, saving the world and all, to worry about driving him to school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that you could really drive to where Ricky went to school.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh yeah, because it was in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>sky.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sky High: the most prestigious high school in the country that exclusively taught superpowered teenagers. Not that any normal person would even know it existed, but when your parents are the most famous heroes in the world, they kind of get the inside scoop on these sort of things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only problem is: Ricky doesn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> powers. Ricky is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sidekick</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You’d think having a father that can manipulate the weather and a mom that can fucking warp reality with her bare hands, he’d have ended up being able to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like fly, or have super-strength, heck, even being able to glow in the dark would be more interesting than what Ricky has, which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>jack shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The closest thing Ricky has to a superpower is blowing smoke out of his nostrils like a dragon when he smokes weed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not easy being the son of two of the greatest superheroes in American history, but it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> hard when you were powerless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three years of being in the “Hero Support” (the condescending way of calling people </span>
  <em>
    <span>sidekicks</span>
  </em>
  <span>) program at Sky High and three years of still being the infamous &amp; powerless son of the greats later: Ricky was used to being the disappoint of his family, even if his parents always told him otherwise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He spotted Nini waiting at their bus stop on the corner of the street as he jogged to her, the two of them smiling at each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s excited for another year at Sky High! Junior year here we come!!” Nini exclaimed happily as their bus began to approach from around the corner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excited? That’s easy for you to say,” he scoffed and rolled his eyes, the bus coming to a stop in front of them as the both hopped on and found seats in the back. “Junior year for you means getting to start training with actual superheroes. Junior year for me means learning how to pick a lock for the seventh semester in a row.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nini frowned as the bus began to pick up speed, heading toward a cliff as the students began feeling the wheels of the vehicle lift off the ground. “Don’t be so negative, Ri. I think this year’s gonna be different, I’ve got a good feeling about it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s never a good sign when you have a good feeling…” Ricky mumbled, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms as the bus drove off of the cliff and into the air, the journey to Sky High beginning.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. eye of the tiger for hope</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Sky High School was pretty much like any other high school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Except that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>well</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it was in the sky. And it was full of kids with superpowers (or lack thereof…).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But it still had the classic high school cliques: the jocks, the bullies, the popular girls whose closets only consisted of the color pink, the kids who watched too much anime and insisted on sprinting to every class (it was especially worse if they </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> super speed), and of course, the nobodies.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Basically everyone who was put into the Hero Support curriculum was a ‘nobody’. They got the shitty classrooms in the basement of the school with no windows to see the light of day. They were assigned the smallest lockers in the oldest wing of the school. If they weren’t being tripped in the hallways, they were being ignored, by the staff and students alike.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that was fine with Ricky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he’d first arrived at Sky High and everyone had figured out who he was, or rather, who he was the son of, every pair of eyes had been glued to him in awe, whispers circulating around the school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“He’s the son of Thunderbolt and Starbright! He’s gotta be, like, the most powerful kid to ever walk these halls!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Is it true that Ricky Bowen can create an 8.0 earthquake just by pressing his pinky to the ground?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Someone told me that he can literally suck your soul out of your body if you make out with him, should I try it?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But when the school found out he hadn’t exhibited any powers during his sorting, they soon forgot about him. Or stuffed his head in a toilet. There was no in between.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Luckily, Ricky had Big Red by his side, who was his best friend since they were children. Despite having the ability to stretch his body like elastic, during their power placement freshman year Coach Boomer had deemed that skill not interesting enough to be put into the Hero program, so the two of them were stuck together.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Although the sidekicks were ignored and disrespected throughout the school, they managed to get by with Mr. Mazarra, who was the head of the Hero Support program. Mr. Mazarra, or Prodigy as he went by in the hero industry, was a self taught master builder and engineer, which should have been a highly respected position to Sky High’s administration, but unfortunately was just thrown in the back burner due to the fact that he didn’t have any actual powers. (It’s no big deal that he designed Spiderman’s new web shooters, no, </span>
  <em>
    <span>not at all</span>
  </em>
  <span>.) </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But despite the lack of respect the teacher had received from other staff at the school, Mr. Mazarra had always stressed the fact that heroes would be nothing without their support. And though Ricky got tired of hearing it five times a week, there was still that small part of himself that believed it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Some of Ricky’s other friends in the sidekick gang were Seb, who was able to morph into an array of herbivorous animals (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“Can you turn into a T-rex?” “Uh, no?” “Then you’re a sidekick. Next!”</span>
  </em>
  <span>) and Ashlyn, who was offered a spot in the Hero program due to her ability to manipulate plantlife and the earth, but declined as she was a pacifist (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“You have the chance at becoming more powerful and trained than Poison Ivy ever was, and you’re saying </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>no</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>?” “I don’t believe in using my powers for violence and oppression like the administration of this school oppresses the sideki--” “Next!” </span>
  </em>
  <span>).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It just so happened that Ashlyn had a cousin at Sky High, who also happened to be the </span>
  <em>
    <span>exact </span>
  </em>
  <span>opposite of her, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> who Ricky hated with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>burning passion</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ Caswell. The epitome of everything Ricky hated in the world. He didn’t understand how someone so evil could be put into the Hero program, but then again, most people in that curriculum were headass, egotistical, prideful </span>
  <em>
    <span>jerks</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And EJ just happened to be the biggest and most popular jerk of them all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ, or Drip, as he liked to use as his superhero alter ego (Ricky got headaches from how hard he rolled his eyes every time he heard it), had the power of hydrokinesis, meaning he was able to create, shape, and manipulate water as well as being able to freeze things. It was quite the interesting skill and if EJ didn’t use it to spill water onto Ricky’s pants on his first day of Freshman year, Ricky might’ve actually thought it was cool.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their feud wasn’t helped by the fact that they had both previously dated Nini, who was, in her good nature, still friends with both of them. He never did understand why she continued to hang out and defend the older boy considering he broke her heart, but he guessed not understanding her was one of the reasons Ricky and her broke up anyway. Nini was very protective of those she loved, so it made sense that she possessed the powers to create force fields and become invisible. (She was also a nerd, so when it came time in Sophomore year for the students in the Hero program to choose their superhero names, she opted for Protego, a spell from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Harry Potter</span>
  </em>
  <span> that creates an invisible shield).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Some of the other kids in the Hero program at Sky High included Nini’s best friend Kourtney who had the power to create and manipulate light, her alter ego being Gleam, respectively, as she shined in everything she did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was also Gina aka Arabesque, who had no powers, but had been trained by a secret society in an undisclosed location from a young age in not only the art of ballet, but assassination. It was rare that kids with no powers got accepted into the hero program, but Gina had proved herself during her power placement when she performed a fouette and knocked Coach Boomer out with one pointe shoe kick to the face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lastly out of their friend group was Carlos, who went by Oversight, having the abilities of telekinesis and mind control, appropriately. Carlos was known to like being in control of situations, always wanting things to go his way, but he wasn’t a bad guy. (Seb definitely didn’t think so, as he had a huge crush on the boy).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Other than them, Ricky didn’t really care about anyone else in the school and no one really cared about him. Most heroes had their own cliques and most sidekicks had their own group of friends, and they usually stayed separate; it was just the way things worked around here. Their little ragtag group of heroes and sidekicks was a nice change, however. The only time the two programs really crossed paths was at lunch, so because Nini and Ricky had been friends already, the two groups just naturally formed into one, ritualistically sitting together at lunch everyday.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their first day back at Sky High was more or less uneventful: Ricky got his head stuffed in a toilet by an upperclassman hero, during lunch Nini created a forcefield around their group as a food fight erupted in the cafeteria, and Miss Jenn aka Spark, one of the few hero teachers who defended Hero Support students and who had the power to control and create electricity, had welcome them all back with open arms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am so happy to see all of your faces! It’s going to be an exciting year,” the peppy teacher announced as she stood behind the podium in the gym during the welcome assembly, “We have some very exciting news that I think you’ll all be very interested in.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Mazarra chimed in from his place next to Miss Jenn to continue, “I’m assuming most of you know who Agent Troy Bolton is. Troy Bolton is a proud alumnus of Sky High and the creator of the law enforcement agency W.I.L.D.C.A.T.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Excited whispers erupted around the gym at the mention of Agent Bolton’s name, as he was a legend of Sky High and one of the most respected hero figures in the country. Bolton had formed W.I.L.D.C.A.T. (Western Intelligence Liaison Division for the Commanding Attack Team) a group of some of the most powerful and trained superheroes to come out of Sky High. The Wildcats had helped prevent many disasters and tragedies and if someone was worthy and powerful enough to become an addition to their team, it was world news. They made the Avengers look like amateurs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Agent Bolton has decided to create a program for the school,” Mr. Mazarra resumed as the murmuring died down, “He’s looking for fresh faces, young heroes with enough passion and drive to become a Wildcat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The gym once again exploded in chatter as the students took in what the teachers were implying.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s regain our composure and continue to listen, please!” Miss Jenn tried to calm the crowd to no avail, “Settle down now, kids!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When no one acknowledged her, the teacher snapped her fingers, flooding the gym in darkness as she absorbed the electricity powering the lights in the room, surprising everyone before turning the lights back on now that the attention was back on the faculty.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Mazarra went on, unphased by the commotion, “Agent Bolton and the other current Wildcats: Agent Montez also known as Scarlet Siren, Agent McKessie who goes by Centrifuge, Chad Danforth who you know as Gamechanger, the Evans siblings aka Pink Robin and Visionary, Agent Zeke Baylor who is known as the Caramelizer, and lastly Agent Kelsi Nielson who the world knows as Allegro, will be making routine visits to the school to observe students who fit the criteria needed to join their team.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is not something to be taken lightly,” Miss Jenn contributed. “They will only be choosing nine students to fill these positions. And it is only the best of the best, whether they are heroes </span>
  <em>
    <span>or</span>
  </em>
  <span> hero support students, who will receive this opportunity. It’s not just about who’s the most powerful, it’s about who is willing to sacrifice the most for the sake of good, for the ones who need it the most. Take that into account when you’re being observed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“With that being said, this will be a tough and interesting year for us all. I hope you take this opportunity as a form of motivation to become better heroes, rather than a competition of who can run the fastest or lift the heaviest object. Agent Bolton knows a good hero when he sees one, and he will not hesitate to put you in your place,” Mr. Mazarra warned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, all of you get home safe and have a wonderful day! Stay super!” Miss Jenn concluded cheerfully as the bell rang.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The students all hurried out of the gym as the school day came to an end, Ricky and Big Red walking side by side as they left the building.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, do you think we have a chance at getting those Wildcat positions? I mean, you heard Spark, she said that heroes </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> hero support kids could be considered!” the red head gushed excitedly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky tried not to be a Debbie downer on his friend’s mood, despite the lack of hope he had about the Wildcat opportunity. “I highly doubt it, Red. Maybe you do, I mean, you actually have powers but I’m literally just another white guy. There’s no way Troy Bolton would even look in my direction except to judge me for being a Bowen with no powers.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself! You heard Mr. Mazarra,” Big Red started as they began walking their separate ways. “Bolton knows a good hero when he sees one, and I see the best hero right in front of me! See ya, Rick!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky smiled as he watched his friend hop on his own bus, waving goodbye. Red always knew how to give him the hope that he could be more than he was, but it got Ricky thinking…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What if I do have a chance?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. it seems your faith has broken</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ricky bowen deserves to be happy❤️</p><p> </p><p>unfortunately, i very much will not be giving that to him❤️</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The house was quiet when Ricky got home, despite both of parent’s cars being parked in the driveway. (Not that they really needed cars, both of them could fly.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mom? Dad? I’m home!” he called, toeing his vans off and leaving them by the door as he walked further into the house, his backpack on his shoulder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to head up the stairs to his bedroom when he saw his parents sitting in the living room quietly, looking upset. He placed his bag down and cautiously walked into the room, seemingly breaking the trance his parents were in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Ricky! You’re here, I didn’t even notice you come in,” his mother smiled at him, but the grin didn’t reach her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up? Why are you guys acting so weird?” he asked, confused as his father continued to look at the ground.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother’s smile faltered as she replied, gesturing at the chairs across from them, “You should sit, honey. We have something to tell you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky took the seat carefully, his heartbeat quickening and eyebrows furrowing together as he became more nervous. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did they find the weed under his bed?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His father sighed dejectedly, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find the right words before eventually blurting out, “Your mother and I are getting a divorce.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky’s heart sank to his stomach, his eyes widening in horror at his father’s words. He rose to his feet angrily yelling in disbelief, “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>WHAT?!?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother reached out a hand tentatively to calm him down, “Honey, please, it’s okay.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay?! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Okay???</span>
  </em>
  <span> Nothing about this is okay! You’re getting a divorce, what about that is okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rick,” his father began, “There’s a lot of reasons why we came to this decision.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can you even think about doing this? How can you spend 17 years married to one another and suddenly decide you don’t want to be anymore? I mean, where did this even come from?” he didn’t realize he was pacing until his father placed a hand on his arm to stop him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s more complicated than that, Ricky,” his mother tried to reason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stopped in his tracks, looking at the two of them incredulously, “What’s complicated about it? You two are the most famous superheroes ever! You can’t just divorce! What’s the world going to think when Thunderbolt and Starbright suddenly stop working together?? How are you going to explain that to the public? And </span>
  <em>
    <span>what about me, what am I supposed to do??</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bud, just listen to us--” his father started, but Ricky cut him off as a horrible revelation popped into his brain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is it </span>
  <em>
    <span>because of me</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Is it because the only son you ever had turned out to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>powerless</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ricky, of course it’s not about that! Please!” his mom tried to console him, reaching out to hold him, but he flinched away like he’d been burned by the touch.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You didn’t even think about me when you came to this decision, did you? I--I just--I just need space right now, okay? Just--just leave me alone!” and with that he sprinted up to his room, the tears that he didn’t even realize he was holding back finally spilling onto his cheeks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ignored his parents calling out to him as he slammed his door, and leaned his back against it trying to control his breathing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were too many emotions running through his body: sadness, confusion, hopelessness. But most potently: </span>
  <em>
    <span>anger</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He felt like he was on fire, like there was an inferno rushing through his veins, he was so </span>
  <em>
    <span>angry</span>
  </em>
  <span> at his parents. He felt like he was going to explode with boiling hot rage at the thought of his parents giving up on their family.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What did I do to deserve this? No powers, and now no family either? Could things in my life get any worse?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pushed off of where he was leaning against the door roughly, his fists banging down against the wood as he stomped towards his bed to take a much needed nap that would hopefully calm him down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In his anger, he missed the way his hands left burning hot scorch marks on the white door, small rings of smoke trailing from the spot where he touched the wood.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>what could the last sentence possibly mean 👁👄👁🔥</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. the players have been chosen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ricky was miserable the next day at school; he got his head stuffed in a toilet (again), got homework assigned in every class (and it was only the <em> second day of school </em>), and didn’t realize he was wearing two different pairs of converse until Big Red pointed it out as they walked to the cafeteria for lunch.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He groaned to himself as they got their food served in the lunch line, “God, could things get any worse?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The lunch lady behind the counter placed a brown colored...<em> thing </em> that probably wasn’t even edible onto his tray and he looked at it in disgust but accepted his defeat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was still so angry at the bomb his parents had dropped on him last night, barely able to sleep the night before as he twisted and turned in his bed, wondering why his life was crashing down in front of him. He also must have had growing pains or something last night because he had felt an incessant ache in his muscles throughout the night. Every time he had managed to doze off for a few minutes, he would wake up in a hot sweat, his body burning.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky was so deep in thought as he followed Big Red to their usual lunch table to sit with their friends that he hadn’t noticed a smug EJ Caswell staring him down from across the cafeteria, sitting with some other jocks in the hero program.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Watch this,” EJ whispered to his group of friends as Ricky was about to pass by them. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sneakily, the senior used his hydrokinesis to spill someone’s water onto the floor, waving a hand to freeze it over and quickly turn it into ice just as Ricky stepped in the spot. The distracted junior slipped onto his ass with a loud yelp, his lunch tray flying into the air. He looked up with wide eyes and it was almost as if time had stopped and everything was in slow motion. His face contorted into disgust as he watched the brown <em> thing </em> detach itself from the tray mid-air and head toward where gravity was taking it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Which, evidently, ended up being his shirt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The mystery mush fell all over his chest with a loud splat, the cafeteria erupting in disgusted groans as they witnessed what had happened. Ricky’s face scrunched up as he smelled the offending food that was now painted all over him. His foot slipped against something once again as he tried to get up and that’s when he noticed what he had slipped on.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Ice </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His head shot to the group of jocks that were snickering from across the cafeteria as anger began boiling in his chest once again. <em> Of fucking course it would be EJ Caswell trying to push my buttons today </em>, he thought as he picked himself up from off the floor and stomped towards where the group was seated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ricky are you okay? What are you doing?” Big Red questioned in concern, looking at the other kids in their friend group for help only to be met with furrowed eyebrows and shrugs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky stopped in front of the “heroes”, fuming as they continued laughing under their breaths. EJ leaned against the lunch table smugly, not even trying to hide the fact that he was the one who caused Ricky’s fall. The cafeteria was filled with hushed whispers as everyone tuned into the drama that was about to unfold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You got a lil something on your shirt there, Bowen,” EJ snickered, pointing at the food that had scattered all over the younger boy when he fell.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky didn’t take the bait, however, too annoyed to entertain the bullshit. “You know, I’m starting to get real tired of you, asshole.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The smirk fell from the jock’s face, being replaced by a steeled expression as he took in what Ricky had said to him. The cafeteria had never been so quiet in their lives as every student awaited his next move.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ rose from where he was sitting, slowly walking towards the younger boy menacingly, and though Ricky’s heartbeat had begun quickening in anger, he didn’t back down from his spot.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What the fuck did you just call me?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry, should I dumb it down for you? I said <em> you’re an asshole </em>,” Ricky spat, elongating every word like he was speaking to a child.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The older boy scoffed as he stared Ricky down with an icy gaze, “Lots of big talk coming from a <em> sidekick </em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The students murmured around them and began to feel the same heat under his skin at the senior’s words, anger bubbling up in his chest as he clenched his fists at his sides. “Lots of big talk coming from someone who overuses his powers to compensate for his small dick.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>That comment earned him some quiet snickers from around the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Aw, is that what this is about? You’re sad that your mommy and daddy didn’t hand down any of their awesome powers to you?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And now Ricky was <em> really </em> angry.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up!” he yelled, feeling the same aching in his muscles that he felt last night, but he ignored it. His chest rose and fell rapidly as his rage threatened to spill over the surface.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Must suck for them knowing their son is a powerless fucking nobody,” EJ continued.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Holy shit, where is that smoke coming from?” Big Red wondered quietly to the group, pointing at the steam that was beginning to rise from Ricky’s shoulders and fists.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nini looked in disbelief, her eyebrows knitted in confusion, “Is--is Ricky making that smoke?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ went on with his goading, “What’s it like? Having the most powerful parents in the world and being the absolute most useless person on the planet?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With that, something snapped in Ricky’s brain as he screamed at the other boy across from him, “FUCK YOU!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He reached back as he was about to throw a punch but as he looked at his hand he realized with comically wide eyes that his fist was covered in <em> fucking fire </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>‘WHAT THE FUCK?!?” him and EJ shouted at the same time, but the momentum of the punch kept his arm moving forward and the senior boy had to duck quickly as a ball of fire came hurtling at his face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Students screamed, dispersing quickly as the fire caught on the linoleum tables.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky stared down at his hand which was still burning, except it wasn’t <em> burning </em> because the fire was coming <em> from </em> him? He had never been so confused in his life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But I thought you didn’t have any powers!” EJ accused, rising from where he ducked to avoid the flame and getting into a fighting stance, his hands raised and moving swiftly as water began circulating him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought I didn’t have powers either!” the younger boy argued, inspecting his flame-ridden hands. The rest of the students had cleared the area, retreating to the sides of the cafeteria as EJ’s water bending began to escalate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He pointed towards the fire that had set the lunch tables ablaze, “So then what the fuck do you call that, idiot?” throwing a large stream of water on the inferno to put it out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up, douchebag!” Ricky shouted in irritation, throwing another torrent of flames in EJ’s direction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ quickly projected his own surge of water at the fire in retaliation, the two elements turning into hot steam before their eyes. He cocked his side to the side, giving Ricky a pointed look, “So that’s how it’s gonna be, then?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That’s how it’s gonna be!” Ricky replied defiantly, conjuring stronger flames into his hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re gonna regret this, Bowen!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And with that, the boys charged; shooting and throwing their respective elements at each other while trying to dodge their attacks. Some students around them cheered and shouted encouragement at the boys as they came at each other’s necks, entertained by the fight. Others hid under the lunch tables quaking in fear that they would be hit in the crossfire. Water and ice from EJ’s attacks painted the floors of the cafeteria while small fires set ablaze on the walls where Ricky threw his projectile flames.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky was ready to aim another launch at EJ, the fire at his hands growing when the older boy held his hands out roughly, surrounding Ricky’s hands with water and ultimately freezing them, encasing the boy’s hands in ice.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The junior grunted in frustration before quickly melting it, letting the water drip onto the floor and replacing the ice with an even bigger flame as his resentment towards the other boy grew. His body reacted to his indignation subconsciously by setting his whole body ablaze as Rick seethed, “How ‘bout I test out what else my powers can do, huh?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’re in for a fucking treat, Bowen!” EJ bellowed, conjuring water to wrap around his body, moving in swift currents and lifting him off of the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They charged at one another at full speed, ready to strike when Nini suddenly ran in between them, her arms out wide to create force fields around the two boys. The two of them ran face first into the clear energy, their heads bonking against the shield, knocking them both on their asses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can you guys please stop! You’re gonna destroy the whole school if you keep going!” the girl chastised at her two ex-boyfriends. <em> Exes for good reason... </em>she thought to herself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The boys looked around from the bubbles they were trapped in at the damage they had caused the cafeteria: puddles of water splattered the floor, the lunch ladies tried desperately to put out a fire at the cash register, icicles fell from the ceiling, tables had been flipped over and were covered in scorch marks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky shrunk into himself guiltily while EJ just crossed his arms, unimpressed that he was still caged by Nini’s forcefield.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Suddenly the shield dropped, and Ricky was about to stand up excitedly when he heard the familiar clicking of a certain teacher’s shoes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Miss Jenn, with her arms crossed over her chest, looked at the two boys sitting on the floor, clicking her tongue pointedly, “So, who wants to lead the way to the principal’s office?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i honestly have no type of posting plan for this because im kind of just excited to put it out there lmao</p>
<p>would yall prefer scheduled updates or for me to sporadically update when im feeling ~scandalous~ ? let me know!!</p>
<p>thanks to everyone who's read, commented, and gave kudos so far &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. life likes to blow the cold wind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The boys sat in front of Principal Darbus talking over each other to explain what had happened in the cafeteria.</p><p> </p><p>“He purposely made me fall by putting ice on the ground and spilling my lunch all over my shirt, I mean you expect me not to retaliate?!? He’s been tormenting me and so many other people in this school for <em> years </em> and it’s about damn time that someone stood up to him! Did I know I have powers? <em> No. </em> Did I mean to light the ceiling on fire and endanger other student’s lives? <em> Also no. </em> Did I mean to endanger EJ’s life? <em> Possibly </em>.” Ricky argued.</p><p> </p><p>“Not only did he almost set the whole school on fire but he also almost set <em> me </em> on fire! If Nini hadn’t stepped in, who knows what else he would’ve done! And this idiot didn’t even know he had powers until, like, ten minutes ago and the first thing he does is try and destroy the whole school and <em> me </em> . At least I’ve had four years of training to master my skills but he doesn’t even know his own abilities! Did I put ice on the floor? <em> Yeah </em> . Did I mean for him to slip on it? <em> Yes. </em>   Did I laugh when he fell on his ass? <em> Of course! </em>” EJ fought.</p><p> </p><p>“But that doesn’t mean I should be the only one getting punished!” the boys yelled at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>Ms. Darbus put up a hand top to stop them from babbling any further, her back straight as she sat eyeing them behind the round glasses perched on her nose.</p><p> </p><p>“Frankly, boys, I don’t give a damn about who started the fight. I give a damn that I’m going to have to buy new lunch tables because <em> someone </em> set them on fire,” she glared at Ricky, making him sink into his seat in embarrassment. “And that I’m going to have to pay for maintenance to the ceiling since <em> someone </em> decided to make them flood!” she transferred her scowl to EJ whose eyes widened in fear.</p><p> </p><p>“You will both be punished for what you’ve done and you will accept these punishments without question, is that clear? With that being said, a week’s worth of detention for both of you after school. I’m going to force you to sit in the same room for two hours every day next week and I expect you to cooperate with each other. And if that cooperation doesn’t happen, I’ll be sure to raise your punishments, got it?”</p><p> </p><p>Both boys nodded fervently, their bodies tense as they waited for the meeting to be over.</p><p> </p><p>She lowered her head to look at Ricky seriously, “You’re lucky I’m not calling your parents about this.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky shuddered, his life flashing before his eyes at the thought of his parents finding out that he had powers by Principal Darbus telling them that he’d almost blown the school up.</p><p> </p><p>“Now, I’m sending you boys to the nurse to check for any injuries as a precaution. You two better not get yourselves into any more trouble today,” and with that, Ms. Darbus snapped her fingers, teleporting the boys to the nurse’s office.</p><p> </p><p>One second Ricky was sitting across from the principal and the next he was sitting on an exam table as a bubbly nurse with curly brown hair smiled at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, you must be Ricky! Ms. Darbus said you’d be here soon. My name’s Martha Cox, but you can just call me Nurse Martha,” the woman greeted cheerfulling, a stethoscope around her neck as she continued, “You might also know me as the superhero Brainiac!”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky’s eyebrows raised in surprise, “Brainiac? I thought Brainiac was a part of the Wildcats. What are you doing back at Sky High?”</p><p> </p><p>The woman took a small flashlight and shined the light in the boy’s eyes, inspecting them before she replied while continuing to inspect the rest of his body, “Well, yes, I was a member of the Wildcats and it was absolutely amazing! I’ve always wanted to use my powers for good, to help people. But it got a little overwhelming trying to <em> literally </em> save the whole world, so I took a step back and went back to my roots here. I wanted to make a difference for the people who will make a difference in the future: the students!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, I admire you for that,” Ricky smiled genuinely.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks!” she chirped. “Do you mind sitting up straight for me?”</p><p> </p><p>She took a few steps back as he did, lifting two fingers up to her temple and proceeding to use her x-ray vision to scan his body for any broken bones or other injuries from the fight.</p><p> </p><p>“Looks like you’re good as far as I can tell!”</p><p> </p><p>“Sick,” he nodded, about to hop off the exam table before he stopped himself, a question coming to his mind. “Hey, I don’t know if you'd know the answer to this, but.”</p><p> </p><p>Nurse Martha eyed him seriously, “I know the answer to everything.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Duh, you idiot. She’s the fucking Brainiac </em>, he thought to himself before continuing bashfully, “Well, I kinda just found out I had powers today, like, during the fight actually. And I’m just really confused because I haven’t shown a single hint of having any powers for my whole life until today. So, like, how could they suddenly just appear in the middle of the cafeteria like that? Is that normal?”</p><p> </p><p>She thought to herself, rubbing her chin, considering before replying, “The age in which someone starts showing signs of powers varies, but usually it’s between the ages of five and twelve years old, so it’s not necessarily <em> normal </em> that you’re showing signs this late. But I’ve seen cases of people developing powers as late as twenty-five, though it’s very rare.”</p><p> </p><p>“But why so randomly? I haven’t really felt any different in the past day than I do on a normal basis.”</p><p> </p><p>“Powers can sometimes be triggered by extremely strong emotions or traumatic events. Have you experienced any of those in the past few days?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Yeah, I cried myself to sleep last night in extreme fury and sorrow that my parents were divorcing and then EJ made me spill brown gunk all over my favorite shirt. That’s probably enough trauma to last a lifetime, </em> Ricky thought before he pulled himself out of his own head.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, yeah maybe. I’d have to think about it a little more,” he muttered.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, if you need anymore help figuring stuff out, let me know. Otherwise you’re free to go!” she beamed.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky finally stepped off of the examination table and began walking out of the office before sending the woman a grateful smile, “Thanks for everything Nurse Martha!”</p><p> </p><p>He entered the hallway at the same time EJ left the other nurse’s office. His smile dropped as he made eye contact with the older boy’s steely green eyes. The other boy didn’t say a word as he took off, following the crowd in the hallway, but not before bumping his shoulder against Ricky’s aggressively.</p><p> </p><p><em> God, what an asshole! </em> His brain supplied. Looking around, he caught Big Red waving at him from across the hallway, stuffing books in his locker as he got ready to head home and walked toward him.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh, he’s so annoying, isn’t he?” Ricky lamented, watching EJ walk down the hallway while leaning against the lockers next to Big Red’s.</p><p> </p><p>The ginger stopped where he was, looking at the other boy incredulously. “Are we really going to ignore the elephant in the room right now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Elephant?” his friend questioned, oblivious.</p><p> </p><p>The pair began walking down the hall as they exited the school before the redhead exclaimed, “Dude, you have powers! And <em> fire </em> powers at that! When were you gonna tell me?”</p><p> </p><p>“I would’ve if I even knew I had them before the fight!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait...you didn’t even know you had them?!? Dude, that’s crazy!” Big Red placed a hand on Ricky’s chest stopping him as they were about to head down the stairs at the front of the school. “Bro, you gotta come over to my house so we can test out your abilities. I mean you literally set your whole body on fire and <em> stayed alive </em>, imagine what else you can do!”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky began buzzing with excitement as the reality of having powers began to set in, “Fuck, yeah, dude, let’s burn this place down!”</p><p> </p><p>Red’s smile dropped as he deadpanned, “I didn’t mean actually set my house on fire, Ricky.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was a hyperbole.”</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t use that hyperbole when you can literally <em> burn any place down </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Touché.”</p><p> </p><p>The boys took the bus to Red’s house and were currently blasting old school Paramore from the speakers in Big Red’s bedroom while lounging around on the floor. Ricky laid on the other boy’s bed, throwing a ball in the air and catching it over and over again.</p><p> </p><p>“So like, what else do you think I’d even be able to do?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm,” the ginger thought to himself from where he was sitting on the bean bag next to his bed. “You can probably do some cool things like create huge flame shields or use the fire you create to fly or use pyromancy to look into the future or create a giant firestorm that makes you impossible to defeat!”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky stared at the other boy. “What’s something you think I can do without killing everyone in this neighborhood?”</p><p> </p><p>“If you snap your fingers can you make your thumb work like a lighter?”</p><p> </p><p>The boy sat up, considering, before Ricky brought his hand out in front of him and proceeded to snap. A small flame appeared at the top of his thumb and the boys’ jaw dropped in excited gasps as they looked at each other in glee.</p><p> </p><p>“No way!”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s sick!”</p><p> </p><p>“Now we don’t have to waste money at 7/11 to buy cheap lighters when we wanna smoke weed!” Red shouted joyfully as if that was the only thing Ricky’s powers were good for.</p><p> </p><p>“Speaking of which, you got a joint we could light? I’m craving some relaxation after battling it out with the headache that is EJ Caswell,” Ricky recounted.</p><p> </p><p>Big Red reached into a drawer in his bedside table, pulling out a perfectly rolled joint and handing it to his friend. “By the way, what’s your punishment for almost destroying the whole school?”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky snapped his fingers, lighting the J and taking a quick hit before passing it back to his redheaded best friend. “Dude, Darbus is making the two of us sit in detention for a week starting tomorrow. <em> Just </em>us. Like, how is that supposed to solve anything, me and Caswell hate each other and if we’re sitting silently in the same room for two hours who knows what kind of fights we could get into.”</p><p> </p><p>“Who knows,” Red mused, taking another drag of the joint before passing it back to Ricky. “Maybe you guys will actually become friends in detention.”</p><p> </p><p>He took one last long hit of the roach before concluding, “I highly doubt me and EJ will ever be friends.”</p><p> </p><p>Big Red watched Ricky finish the J before laughing to himself slightly, a thought popping into his brain. “If you became a superhero, your name could be <em> Blaze </em>. Like 4/20, blaze it.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky snickered under his breath, the effects of the marijuana beginning to catch up with his brain. “Yeah, that’d be mad funny, dude.”</p><p> </p><p>The boys laughed to themselves at the thought before their giggles died down and they were left staring at each other seriously as a realization came to them.</p><p> </p><p>“Dude, that’d actually be, like, really good,” the ginger confessed.</p><p> </p><p>“Red, you’re a fucking genius.”</p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Ricky was reluctant to head back home after hanging out with Big Red, but unfortunately his parents were expecting him for dinner. Not that he wanted to see them, but, he kind of still lived under their roof, so.</p><p> </p><p>He walked in the front door quietly, hoping his parents wouldn’t notice him coming in, but unfortunately his mom was a (literal) witch and could sense everything.</p><p> </p><p>“Ricky! Come eat dinner with us, we cooked your favorite!” she called out to him cheerfully.</p><p> </p><p><em> Of course they did, trying to act like they didn’t just ruin my life by giving me the worst news ever yesterday </em>, he thought to himself bitterly, but took a seat at the kitchen table anyway. The silence between the trio was full of deafening tension.</p><p> </p><p>“How was school? Anything interesting happen?” his father tried conversing to break the ice.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky stuffed a forkful of food in his mouth as he was about to reply, muffling his words as he said, “Nut riri, I shust got inna fie ah dihshcovered I ha powash.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, <em> what </em>?” his dad questioned, his eyebrows knitted together in perplexity.</p><p> </p><p>“You should know better than to talk with your mouth full, Ricky,” his mother chided.</p><p> </p><p>It took all of his willpower not to roll his eyes as he swallowed and repeated, “I <em> said </em>: not really, I just got into a fight and discovered I have powers.”</p><p> </p><p>His parents hummed distractedly, continuing to eat before both adults were hit with the realization of their son’s words; his dad froze, spoon centimeters away from his mouth as he looked at his son with wide eyes while his mother dropped her napkin into a bowl of soup as she gaped at Ricky.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait--”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you say--?”</p><p> </p><p>“Powers?” their son supplied, eyebrows raised and suppressing a laugh at his parent’s actions.</p><p> </p><p>His father rose from his chair excitedly, yelling with glee, “POWERS?!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ricky, that’s amazing!” his mother beamed at him, barely able to control her happiness as she got up from her chair to wrap him in a tight hug.</p><p> </p><p>He cringed, “It’s, like, okay, I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em> OKAY??? </em> It’s more than <em> okay!” </em>the man cheered, “This is what you’ve always wanted, what you’ve always dreamed of!”</p><p> </p><p>“We always knew you had something special inside of you!” his mother said with pride.</p><p> </p><p>His father motioned to him, “Well, show us what you can do!”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, okay.” </p><p> </p><p>Ricky stood up from his seat awkwardly. Deep down he had a gnawing paranoia that his powers would suddenly disappear, or that he’d imagined everything, even though he knew it was impossible to imagine <em> fire </em> coming out of his hands. Well-- in this universe, at least.</p><p> </p><p>He stood for a few seconds, attempting to even out his breathing and concentrate on what he wanted to demonstrate. Holding his hands out a distance away from his sides, he took one last breath and conjured up large flames from his hands, swirling them in small circles and patterns in front him.</p><p> </p><p>Ricky almost shot a projectile fireball at his dad as the man yelped in delight, making him jump in surprise.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> FIRE?!?! OH MY GOODNESS THAT IS SO COOL!!” </em></p><p> </p><p>Ricky quickly extinguished the flames as the man pulled him in for a tight hug, lifting him off of the ground in his excitement. The father and son babbled animatedly to each other, discussing the possibilities of Ricky’s newfound abilities, coming up with theories about why the powers had shown up so late, and laughing in glee as Ricky performed some more tricks.</p><p> </p><p>In their excitement, they hadn’t noticed Ricky’s mother’s face fall as she watched her son show off his pyrotechnic abilities.</p><p> </p><p>The teen turned to his mother merrily, showing her a small fireball he had created in his hand. “Look, Mom!”</p><p> </p><p>His own smile fell from his face as he saw his mother’s stoic, almost apprehensive expression as she stared down the conjured fire. Dejectedly, he closed his hand to put out the fire, ultimately pulling her out of her trance.</p><p> </p><p>A warm smile reappeared on her face, but the grin didn’t meet her eyes as she congratulated, “I’m so proud of you, Ricky. Seems like your life is really about to change.”</p><p> </p><p>She got up from her chair gently and placed a small kiss on her son’s cheek with a sullen smile, before leaving the room and heading upstairs without another word.</p><p> </p><p>Both Ricky and his father watched her go, confused about the interaction and her reaction to his powers.</p><p> </p><p>“Is-- is she okay? Did I do something wrong?” he turned to look at his father, searching for answers.</p><p> </p><p>The man placed a reassuring hand on Ricky’s shoulder, consoling, “She’s probably just stressed about the..you know. The divorce. It’s not about you, don’t worry.”</p><p> </p><p>Ricky winced at the mention of his parent’s separation, shrugging off his father’s hand as he gulped, “I’m...not really hungry anymore. I think I’m just gonna call it a night and head to bed, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>He turned towards the staircase about to head up to his bedroom when his dad stopped him to say, ‘I really am proud of you, okay, Bud?”</p><p> </p><p>He sent his dad a small smile before running up the stairs to his bedroom and collapsing onto his bed.</p><p><br/><em>What a strange twenty-four hours</em>...he thought to himself, before the exhaustion of the day caught up to him and he drifted off to sleep.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope you liked those two hsm cameos! martha deserved more screentime imo 😔 nurse martha is here to pOp and LoCk and jAm and bReAk your bones back into place</p><p>the next chapter will have more ej in it i promise &lt;3 and dont worry he gets a lil nicer, god knows he's just projecting bc he doesnt know how to cope with his ~crush~ but anyway...🤠</p><p>what a weird interaction between ricky and his mom...what could it possibly mean?</p><p>that's a secret i'll ever tell. xoxo, emotionally drained and physically exhausted girl💋</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. i sacrifice my ego</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ricky grossly under anticipated how much things in his life would change now that he had powers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He walked into his first class the next day: Computer Hacking 103, before Mr. Mazarra stopped him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky, didn’t you see the email the administration sent you?” he pressed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Email?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, it should’ve been sent to your school email.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a school email?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teacher rubbed his temples impatiently, letting out a sigh before continuing, “The administration reviewed your newfound abilities and came to a unanimous decision that your powers would be put to waste if you continued on the Hero Support curriculum. You’ve been transferred to the Hero program.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s jaw dropped as he caught the eyes of his friends and saw their wide range of reactions. Big Red’s eyes popped wide out of his head as he grinned with pride, giving him a thumbs up. Seb gifted him with small claps in a quiet applause along with a warm smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn shook her head before lamenting, “Good luck. You’ve now chosen the side of the oppressor.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Mazarra handed him a copy of his new class schedule before suggesting, “You should probably head to your first class now or you’ll be late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He scanned the document briefly before cursing, “Oh, shit. That’s all the way on the first floor!” and sprinting out of the classroom to head up the stairs from the basement in a vain attempt to make it to the new class before the bell rang.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky managed to slide into the classroom out of breath as the bell sounded overheard, panting as the rest of the class gawked at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky! Glad to see you actually coming to class,” Miss Jenn greeted from where she was leaning against her desk, arms crossed. “Welcome to the Hero program and to Elemental Manipulation! You haven’t missed much, take a seat wherever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She gestured to the room, but as Ricky looked around, the only empty seat he could find was in the back row next to none other than-- </span>
  <em>
    <span>ugh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Of course.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>EJ Caswell.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older boy stared him down with an icy glare, not breaking eye contact as Ricky slowly walked over and sat into the seat next to him. They exchanged no words but held eye contact as if daring the other to say something, only tearing their gazes away from each other  as Miss Jenn began teaching.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky pulled out a notebook from his backpack and began taking notes on the lesson their teacher was reciting in the front of the classroom, scribbling messily as he tried to keep up with everything Miss Jenn was saying. He was about to bring his pen down onto the paper once more when suddenly the pen burst in a small explosion, spilling blank ink all over his hand as well as the notebook and destroying his notes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He muttered quiet curses to himself, confused as he wiped the black liquid from his hand when he realized-- </span>
  <em>
    <span>liquid</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His head snapped to glare at the older boy next to him, seething. Ricky knew that EJ could not only manipulate water, but he could also control any liquid. The senior paid him no mind as he took his own notes, chin resting on his hand innocently but Ricky could see the hint of a smirk on the boy’s face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took all of Ricky’s willpower not to entertain the senior with a reaction, but if games were what EJ wanted to play, then games would be what EJ was going to get.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ignoring the gut feeling to jump the boy next to him, Ricky tried to resume his note-taking but his head was more focused on how he could retaliate against him. His mind was forming blanks until a lightbulb went off in his brain and he had to suppress a maniacal laugh.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>As subtle as he could, Ricky held a hand out in EJ’s direction, concentrating on what he was trying to do while pretending to pay attention to the class.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, EJ let out a small yelp as the pen in his hand grew hot, dropping it onto his desk and watching the plastic melt before his eyes, small rings of smoke swirling into his face as he stared down in shock at the now disfigured writing utensil. He slowly turned to face Ricky with narrowed eyes, jaw tense as if holding himself back from cursing the younger boy out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky was a petty bitch so instead of ignoring the older boy, he turned to face EJ as well, batting his eyelashes innocently with pursed lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ huffed, irritated, but fished another pen out of his bag and carried on taking his notes. Ricky noticed that the older boy’s shoulders were tense as if he were using all of his willpower not to strike back at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the class continued with no more distractions, they boys pointedly ignoring each other as Miss Jenn droned on about the different states of matter and how one’s zodiac sign can affect the type of elemental power they develop. If Ricky was being honest, he found the lesson to be extremely informative and almost completely forgot that he and EJ were bickering just a few minutes prior.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the bell for the next period finally rang, Ricky stood, stuffing his supplies into his backpack when he felt a spritz of water hit his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up in annoyance as EJ taunted, “See you in detention, Bowen,” and walked out of the classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky almost stuck his tongue out at the older boy, but had a half a mind not to when he realized how stupid he would look. Wiping the water from his face he was about to step into the hallway when Miss Jenn stopped him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at him with care in her eyes as she said, “I know the transition from Support to Hero can be hard, especially since you’re starting a lot later than most people, so if you need any extra help, just let me know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Miss Jenn. I definitely might need it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He turned around once again before Miss Jenn piped up, “Oh! And Ricky?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes?” he asked as he stood waiting in the doorway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell EJ that if I catch either of you using your powers in class again, that’ll be one more week of detention for </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky blushed, eyes wide in embarrassment as he spluttered, “Uh, yeah. Sorry ‘bout that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>She brushed him off, shooing him to his next class as she shook her head with a fond smile playing at her lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day went by in a flash for Ricky; his list of supplies to buy for his new classes grew with every passing class period and he was now acquainted with people he had never even known went to this school, being so locked up in the basement for Hero Support classes. Thankfully, Nini, Gina, and Carlos had been in some of the same classes as him and would be able to help him adjust.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, with the end of the stressful school day came the start of the stressful situation that was sitting in detention for two hours with </span>
  <em>
    <span>EJ</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The senior was already in the empty classroom, sitting back in a desk with his legs spread out and scrolling through his phone as Ricky walked in, begrudgingly taking the seat next to him. Mr. Mazarra came a few steps behind him, already looking annoyed with the situation though it hadn’t even started.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m just gonna be straight up with you guys. I don’t wanna be here,” the teacher stated bluntly. “And I know you don’t wanna be here either. But I don’t care about you. I care about myself and the amount of important work I have to get done.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two boys looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, confused about where this was heading.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Mazarra continued, “So what I’m saying is: I shouldn’t be punished because you two idiots couldn’t go a day without throwing some fire and ice. With that being said, I’m going to leave you two idiots here alone so that I can do my important work and I’m going to trust that you won’t do anything stupid because if you do, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>both </span>
  </em>
  <span>will be expelled and I doubt either of you want that. Got it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ and Ricky nodded in unison.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. I’ll be back in two hours to let you guys go, but if I come back and I smell smoke,” he pointed at Ricky. “Or slip on any ice,” he pointed at EJ, “Then you know what will happen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, the man left, leaving the two enemies in an awkward silence as the reality of the situation hit them: </span>
  <em>
    <span>two hours</span>
  </em>
  <span> of being in each other’s presence and they were expected not to rip each other’s skin off? It’s more likely than you think.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky glued his eyes to the ticking clock on the wall, counting every second as it went by. After what felt like years, 30 seconds had passed and he grew impatient, throwing his hands up in the air exasperated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What does he expect us to do for this long?!?” he complained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ didn’t look up from where he was sitting, blowing a bubble from his gum and letting it pop as he replied, uninterested, “Don’t you have, like, a phone or something, Bowen?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you have, </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span>, anything better to do than be annoying?” Ricky mocked, crossing his arms over his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The senior turned in his seat to face the younger boy, his eyes narrowed but a smirk playing on his lips. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds as he looked Ricky up and down and it made the younger boy squirm, wrapping his arms around himself tighter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we really about to bicker back and forth for the next two hours? Because honestly, I don’t think my brain can come up with that many insults for you,” EJ conceded, chewing his gum loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? Because my brain has an endless amount for you,” Ricky replied automatically, almost breaking his serious facade as he watched EJ’s teasing smile grow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older boy rolled his eyes, groaning, “Oh, this is going to be a long two hours.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Longer than your dick, probably.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ sat unimpressed, quirking an eyebrow. “You got some weird obsession with my dick, Richard?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The junior couldn’t help the faint blush that spread across his cheeks but tried his best to remain passive as he deflected the question, “Don’t call me Richard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t that your name?” the older boy popped another bubble and Ricky couldn’t help it when his eyes followed the movement of EJ’s  tongue darting out to lick his lips.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if you’re gonna call me by my full name I should be able to call you by yours,” Ricky argued, tearing his gaze away from the senior’s mouth. “What does EJ even stand for, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Egotistical Jerk,” the senior replied automatically.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky gaped at the boy for a few seconds until a snort escaped him, laughing loudly until he had to cover his mouth to muffle his giggles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you just come up with that?!” he asked, trying to regain his composure.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ shrugged, trying his best to ignore the satisfaction he felt from making the younger boy laugh. “Maybe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not gonna lie, I’m impressed, Caswell.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oof, so we’re back to last names? And here I thought we were making progress.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you still haven’t told me your real name, so,” the younger boy prodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“EJ’s fine, babe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p><span>Ricky’s stomach flipped at the pet name as he thought to himself: </span><em><span>Wait.</span></em> <em><span>Are we flirting right now?</span></em></p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His mouth moved faster than his brain however, as he replied on auto pilot, “Aww, ‘babe’? So we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> making progress, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus Christ</span>
  </em>
  <span>, why was he encouraging this?</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>But EJ paid him no mind, continuing their banter as he leaned back in his chair, “How ‘bout you give me your number and we make some more progress?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The younger boy’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he replied sarcastically, “Why? So you can annoy me through text as well?” but he fished his phone out of his pocket, anyway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, so you </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a phone!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky unlocked the device and scrolled through his notifications absentmindedly, “Yeah, but I’m not gonna let you anywhere near it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll have you know that my Instagram feed is actually quite impressive and has many followers, and that you would be lucky to be one of them,” EJ bragged, cocky as ever.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, I see enough of your face at school already. Follow you and see more of it in the form of obnoxious selfies? No, thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>(In truth, although Ricky didn’t follow EJ on instagram, he did, in fact, occasionally stalk the older boy’s profile when he was bored. But. That didn’t mean anything.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The senior placed a hand on his chest, mocking offense. “Please, like you wouldn’t love to see this gorgeous smile on your timeline,” he said, flashing a smile in the firebender’s direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky had no idea what the fuck was happening or why his heart started beating faster at the grin the older boy was sending him but he was going to go with it. EJ and him had been bitter enemies just earlier in the day, getting on each other’s nerves by messing with each other in little ways. But if this...</span>
  <em>
    <span>flirting</span>
  </em>
  <span> or...whatever stopped the two of them from killing each other...he guessed worse things could happen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, then, what’s your Instagram handle?” he asked, as if he didn’t already know it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s @EJisDrippin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s so fucking stupid,” Ricky deadpanned, but put the name in his search bar anyway and proceeded to follow the other boy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a pun! Get it? Cuz’ my hero name is Drip and I’m, like, drippin’...in finesse or whatever,” EJ explained with a goofy smile plastered on his face while Ricky just stared at him unimpressed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” the junior snorted, rolling his eyes. “You better follow back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older boy took his phone out of his pocket, muttering under his breath, “Like your username is any better…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah, actually. It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my name</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you know, like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> person would use.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh,” the senior gagged as he went through Ricky’s profile, “Your feed sucks! You don’t even put filters on your pictures.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need filters, I’m already pretty enough!” the younger boy joked, putting his fingers under his chin and presenting his face with an awkward smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can’t argue with that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky didn’t know how to respond so he just blinked, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he just call me pretty?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their small conversations went on for the duration of the detention period, teasing each other and joking around, all the while pretending that they didn’t find what the other said to be funny.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were lost in a conversation about whether Thor or Ricky’s dad would win in a lightning battle when Mr. Mazarra walked back into the classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He examined the room with narrowed eyes before confessing, “I’m honestly surprised to see the classroom in the same shape it was when I left. Your two hours are up. Please leave so I can go home and enjoy what little life I have left outside of this job.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s eyes shot up in surprise as he looked up at the clock, “It’s been two hours already?!? It didn’t even feel like it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not complaining,” EJ chirped as he hopped out of his desk, swinging his backpack over his shoulder as he began to walk out of the classroom, throwing up a peace sign. “Later losers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>For some reason the junior felt the need to catch up with the other boy, so he quickly put his own bag over his back while mumbling out a goodbye to Mr. Mazarra.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two boys walked side by side down the halls of Sky High, the senior popping a new piece of gum into his mouth and </span>
  <em>
    <span>there goes Ricky again, staring at EJ’s mouth</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s with you and the gum, dude?” Ricky asked as he tried to keep up with the senior’s fast pace.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged, glancing at the other boy from the corner of his eye as they reached the front entrance of the school “Don’t know, just like chewing on something minty, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m more of a cinnamon gum guy, to be honest.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ stopped at the top of the steps, waiting for his ride home. “The answer to a question I never asked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s face dropped, unimpressed as EJ continued, “But makes sense. You’re the fire guy, you like the spice. I’m the water guy, I like the </span>
  <em>
    <span>ice</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he said, punctuating the word by breathing a puff of cold smoke from his mouth right into RIcky’s face, making the younger boy flush.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway,” the senior finished, bouncing down the steps as a car pulled up in front of the school. “Same time tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He flashed Ricky a cocky smirk, not waiting for a reply as he got into the vehicle. The younger boy stood at the entrance of the school as he watched the car drive away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Weirdest. Day. Ever.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s dad had picked him up from detention-- like flew to the school and </span>
  <em>
    <span>picked him up</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was fully ready to be productive when he arrived home (also known as, taking a fat nap until it was time for dinner), about to head up the stairs to his room when his father stopped him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Rick, you got a minute? I wanna show you something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy stared at the man, curiosity itching under his skin as he stepped off the stairs towards his father, “Uh, yeah sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His dad motioned for him to follow him as he led him down the hallway towards where his office was at the end of it, beckoning Ricky to step inside as he closed the door behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky waited for his dad to pull out whatever it was he wanted to show him impatiently, shifting from foot to foot as the man just stared at him while leaning on his desk. “Soo...is this what you wanted to show me? Your office? ...Which I have been in many times?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man formed a knowing smirk on his lips, pointing towards the bookcase behind his son, “Would you mind getting </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chaos Magick Through the Ages</span>
  </em>
  <span> for me? I’m in the mood to read it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy was extremely confused but went over to the shelf to do what his father asked him, skimming the spine of each book until he found what he was looking for. He pulled the book from the shelf, his eyes widening as the floor began to move beneath his feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky turned to his father excitedly as he realized they were being brought down below the house to…</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>”A secret lair?!? I’ve been trying to figure out where your secret lair is and this whole time it’s been in your office?! And you really let me believe it was in your bedroom when I asked!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man shrugged with a smile playing on his lips as they stopped moving, “Hey, then it wouldn't have been a secret.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His father rose from where he was leaning on the desk, walking over to the door to open it and revealing a high tech room, ornately decorated with silver walls and dark red accents. Ricky stared in awe at the super suits of his parents that lined the walls, the multitude of weapons stored behind windows, and artifacts from past missions placed neatly on pedestals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking back to gauge his son’s reaction, he found the boy with his mouth agape, speechless as he took in the sight in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This is so. fucking. cool,” the teen blurted out, quickly covering his mouth with his hand as he apologized. “Sorry, I cursed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man laughed, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder and guiding him around the room; pointing out the history behind every artifact, explaining what every single weapon behind the glass was used for, showing Ricky which suit was his favorite to wear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know the silver suit with the red lightning bolt on the front is the general public’s favorite, but you can’t tell me the matte black suit with the glowing red bolt isn’t so much more badass!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky ran his hand down the suit with wide eyes, a chill running down his spine at how beautiful it was, “It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> badass!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanna see anything else? I could show you the control room in the back, ooh! Or your mother’s training room where she practices her magic! And there’s also a suit design station if you wanna customize what you wanna wear--”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dad?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Bud?” the man paused his excited babbling, looking at his son.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is all </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> cool,” Ricky gaped, motioning around the room. “But...why are you showing it all to me </span>
  <em>
    <span>now?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>His dad sighed, wrapping an arm around the young teen and explaining, “I just-- I know everything is crazy right now. You just got powers and it’s exciting! But...you also just found out your mom and I are getting divorced. I’ve always wanted to show you this place when I felt you were ready for it and...right now, I think you are. You’re only getting older and </span>
  <em>
    <span>stronger</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I couldn’t be any prouder of you! Even if you didn’t have powers, I want you to know that I have never been prouder to have you as a son.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky couldn’t help the smile that grew on his face at his father’s words, pulling the man in for a tight hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He loved his parents so much, had always watched in awe and admiration as they fought villains and defended the world against threats. He always thought they were the perfect, happy, superhero family that was in movies, so it hurt when he found out that his parents didn’t love each other as much as he believed they did. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>But in hindsight...he had been anticipating their separation for a while now, hearing them argue on late nights when they would arrive home from a mission, exhausted. But he had suppressed those thoughts in fear that they would become reality. And it hurt when he found it <em>was</em> a reality, </span>
  <span>but he knew he ultimately couldn’t make his parents love each other again. He also knew deep down, that no matter what his parents did, they would always love him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally separating from their embrace, his father declared, “Alright, let’s head back upstairs. I bet you’ve got lots of work to do now that you’re in the hero program.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kinda…” the teen replied as they made their way back to the office before something hanging from the wall caught his eye. “Hey Dad, what’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky motioned towards a pointed gold scepter with a glowing red stone in the center of it encased in a glass window, walking closer to admire it. He reached a hand out to touch the glass when his father shot a hand to stop him abruptly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t touch that if I were you,” tha man warned. “That’s the evil sorceress Shadowglare’s scepter. The stone embedded in it contains some of the most powerful dark chaos magic the world has ever seen. It could hurt you even </span>
  <em>
    <span>with</span>
  </em>
  <span> a wall of glass between you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So...why is it in our basement?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I acquired this staff 16 years ago...a few months before you were born actually. I fought Shadowglare when she and her partner Cataclysmic were trying to </span>
  <em>
    <span>literally</span>
  </em>
  <span> set the whole world on fire. Me and her were stuck in a painstaking battle when I finally garnered enough power to hit her with the most powerful lightning bolt I have ever conjured, even to this day. She disappeared in a bout of smoke and this was the only thing left of her and Cataclysmic. I keep it in my possession in case she ever comes back...I have a feeling she’s still out there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>A shiver ran up Ricky’s spine as he thought of the villain that may be lurking in the shadows of the world, watching and waiting for the right time to reappear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He jumped as his father laid a (what he thought was) a reassuring hand on the boy’s shoulder as he piped up cheerfully, “But! That could definitely just be me being paranoid! I mean it’s been 16 years and she hasn’t come back so I doubt she ever will. Come on, let’s eat dinner. I’m starving!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pair turned around to make their way back to the office, Ricky enthusiastically asking his father to tell more stories about the backstory of the other artifacts in the room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They were too engrossed in conversation to notice the glow of the bright red stone in Shadowglare’s scepter growing larger and larger as they walked away.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hello everyone. it is my birthday 2day hehe. thank u to everyone who has read and is reading and has ever read anything ive written. u r truly the best gifts i could ask for. so here's a present from me 2 u. mwah luv u all &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. run through the flames that's more passion for me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tuesday came and went with another evening of Ricky and EJ sitting in detention for two hours, arguing about whether heroes with elemental powers or those with mutated genetics were more powerful. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“Spiderman is cool but he would literally just be a glorified gymnast without Mr. Mazarra’s web shooters!” Ricky had said determinedly</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wednesday’s detention session came with a very heated conversation about the Sokovia accords and whether or not they were a violation of superhuman rights. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“They infringe on our freedom and micro-manage superheroe’s powers!” Ricky yelled. “No, they hold us accountable for any innocent civilian that gets killed or injured in our crossfire!” EJ had insisted.</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On Thursday, their dialogue went a little more personal as they discussed their mutual relationship with Nini and why both of them didn’t work out with her. (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“I like and still like Nini a lot, and maybe it’s the fact that she can produce force fields, but she was always so guarded around me and honestly it kinda felt like she didn’t really like me that much,” EJ conceded while Ricky admitted, “It was, like, the opposite for me. I was too guarded for her and we realized that we were just better off as best friends.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If Ricky didn’t know any better, one might say that the two of them were actually becoming </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was extremely weird and Ricky didn’t really know what to make of their situation but he wasn’t completely against the friendship. (He did, however, choose to ignore the butterflies in his stomach that arose every time EJ laughed at something he said.)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Friday rolled around and soon the pair’s detention sessions would be over. Ricky packed his things into his locker in between third and fourth period, getting ready for gym class when Nini ran up to him joyfully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Are you excited?” she chirped, holding her books close to her chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excited? For gym? Why, are we running the mile or something because you and I both know I’m probably going to be so slow that everyone has to cheer me on just for me to get to the end of it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The brunette girl laughed, hitting her friend on the arm as if he had just made the funniest joke in the world. He looked at her with knitted eyebrows, confusion painting his face before she explained, “Oh, you don’t know? It’s Friday! Every Friday in P.E. is when the hero program kids do Save the Citizen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He cocked an eyebrow waiting for her to elaborate as she groaned impatiently, “Save the Citizen! You know, when we’re tested on our abilities by being put into pairs and the pairs, one being ‘heroes’ and the other being ‘villains’ obviously, battle to save a dummy from getting ripped to shreds by the giant shredder!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky just blinked at the girl, speechless as she went on, “Oh, come on! It’s actually really fun! And usually if you’re picked to go it means you’re doing really well and they want to see more of you, so I hope you get to show off your powers. Ooh! And I heard some Wildcats might even be there to observe so if you do good maybe you’ll be considered to be a new recruit!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is...so much information,” Ricky muttered, closing his locker shut as he and Nini walked down the hall towards the gym. “I really hope I’m not picked this week because I have no idea what I’m doing, like, at all. That would be so bad if I had no idea what I was doing in front of the Wildcats.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry! Most people lose the first time they're thrown into the ring but it doesn’t mean they’re bad!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky groaned as they took their seats on the bleachers, Gina, Kourtney, and Carlos claiming seats next to them as they arrived one by one. The gym in front of them had a new set up: clear barriers separated the students in the bleachers from the court, which was scattered with everyday items such as a trash can, a mailbox, and a car while a plastic mannequin hanging from the ceiling above the metal teeth of the shredder sat in the middle of the gym. Ricky gulped just looking at it, praying to God that he wouldn’t be the one picked to save the stupid citizen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coach Boomer turned around from his pedestal, dressed in a referee’s outfit as he addressed the students with his resounding voice, “Welcome to the first Save the Citizen of the school year!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Cheers and applause rang throughout the gym from the students sitting in the bleachers before Boomer silenced them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know. It’s extremely exciting and I hope you’re all ready to show off what you’ve learned so far. I would like to point out that not only am </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> grading whoever is chosen today on their performance, but if you look up in the principal’s box,” he said, motioning upwards at the window where two people were seated, “Then you’ll see that we have some guests today. Sharpay and Ryan Evans are observing from the sidelines today to take some notes back to Agent Troy Bolton for his recruitment process. I’d hope that everyone chosen for battle today will put their best foot forward.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Excited murmurs echoed from the all students in the gym as they prayed to be the ones to show off their powers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“With that being said, when picking who we wanted to battle today, we decided to go the...</span>
  <em>
    <span>elemental</span>
  </em>
  <span> route, if you’re catching my drift.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>All eyes of Ricky’s friend group shot at him as he sat on the bleachers nervously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coach Boomer went on, “The four people battling to save the citizen will be students whose powers directly correspond with the four main elements: water, earth, fire, and air. You can probably already guess who’s names I’m about to call. On the villains team we have Nathan Hill and Jonah Turner!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two boys sat next to each other on the opposite side of the gym, dapping each other up as the rest of the students cheered them on. From what Ricky knew, Nathan Hill was a junior with geokinesis powers, the ability to control and manipulate earth, rocks, and stones, while Jonah Turner was a senior that had the power of flight and air manipulation. And as far as Ricky knew, they were the two most dickhead jerks in the school. (Right behind EJ, of course.)</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“On the hero side we have none other than EJ Caswell and...Ricky Bowen? Is there a Ricky Bowen in this class? I thought he was a sidekick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>All eyes in the gym turned to him as he raised his hand awkwardly, “Um, present.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh,” the teacher hummed to himself. “Well, the four of you have five minutes to get changed into your protective gear and if you’re late then you get a penalty. Chop, chop!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the locker room, Ricky scrambled to get his armor on over his gym uniform, the different knee pads, shoulder pads, elbow pads, </span>
  <em>
    <span>why were there so many damn pads</span>
  </em>
  <span>, were confusing the hell out of him until EJ stepped in to help, his gear already on perfectly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“God, if you’re already this nervous we’re not gonna be able to save the citizen, for sure,” EJ teased, moving each pad to the correct part of Ricky’s body, the younger boy pointedly ignoring the heat he felt from every place the senior placed his hands on him. EJ patted him on his chest plate reassuringly, “We’ll be fine, okay? Hill and Turner fucking suck at using their powers. If we lose against them, that would be embarrassing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You really know how to take the pressure off, huh?” Ricky deadpanned sarcastically as they quickly made their way back to the gym.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two teams stood on opposite ends of the ring as Coach Boomer explained the rules, “Heroes! You have three minutes to immobilize the villains and rescue the citizen before they are ripped to shreds. If you don’t, not only will you lose, but you will bring shame upon your family forever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s eyes widened in fear as he looked to EJ for comfort, the older boy just rolling his eyes and mouthing, “We’re fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright! Three minutes on the clock!” the coach shouted, pointing towards the score board. “Ready, set, SAVE THE CITIZEN!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd in the bleachers erupted in cheers as the buzzer went off, signaling the start of the game.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do with himself while EJ immediately ran towards the dummy as it screamed, “SAVE ME!” in a horrifyingly monotone robot voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just as the senior was about to reach for the mannequin however, a large boulder seemingly came out of nowhere, flying towards him and pinning him against the wall, knocking the breath out of him. EJ groaned in pain as the boulder and him dropped to the floor, “Jesus fuck!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, poor little Caswell hurt by a little rock!” Nathan Hill taunted, conjuring more rocks in his hand as he prepared to throw them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky felt the blood in his veins grow hot as he watched in anger, yelling, “Hey! I’ll show you something to be hurt by!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hill’s attention turned to him with narrowed eyes as he seethed, “What are you even doing here, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sidekick</span>
  </em>
  <span>? I thought you didn’t have any powers.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky growled, conjuring large flames from his hands as his hair and shoulders lit up in an inferno as well, surprising the other boy who gasped, dropping the rocks he was twirling in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shit,” was all Nathan could get out before Ricky threw fireball after fireball at him as he tried to run away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The junior made a particularly good throw as he hit the other boy’s behind, making his pants burst into flames as he screamed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ regained composure, standing back up laughing as the pair watched the helpless opponent, who was now rubbing his butt on the gym floor to put out the fire. Ricky reached out to give his teammate a high- five as they smiled at each other.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Their celebration was short lived however when Jonah Turner appeared, hurtling towards them as he sat atop a tornado he had formed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck!” Both boys yelled in unison as they were swept up by the tornado, spinning in dizzying circles, hair running amuck on their heads before Ricky had the common sense to shoot a string of fire at Jonah above them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The senior screeched as the fire hit him, losing control of the tornado as it threw the hero team against the clear barriers roughly, the pair groaning in pain.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ glanced at the scoreboard in shock, rising to his feet as he noted, “Shit! We only have two minutes to save the citizen!” Watching as the mannequin descended closer and closer to the shredder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck! What do we do?” Ricky began to panic as Nathan and Jonah charged toward them in anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You take Jonah and I’ll take Nathan, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Got it!” the younger boy confirmed as they headed toward their respective enemy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ met Nathan in the middle of the ring, dodging as the junior began hurling rocks and boulders at him. Reeling back and mustering all of his strength, he conjured a giant wave and sent it in his opponent’s direction, knocking him off his feet and sending him to the opposite side of the ring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Drenched head to toe and dripping with water, Nathan became ready to yell out curses toward the other boy when his eyes widened in horror at the even larger wave heading in his direction. Just as the new wave engulfed him, EJ shifted his hand just the smallest bit, turning the entire form into a giant iceberg. Which Nathan Hill was now stuck frozen in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ hummed, crossing his arms as he inspected his handiwork with pride.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the same time, Ricky was battling it out with Jonah on the other side of the gym, the boy continuously dodging Ricky’s fire attacks by flying in every which way, dizzying his opponent. The fire wielder was growing more and more irritated by the second, Turner laughing maniacally as he noticed the other boy’s frustration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>From his place flying above Ricky, Jonah conjured another tornado, this time surrounding and trapping the younger boy in it. The fire emerging from Ricky’s hands extinguished and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t conjure up a new flame.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Anxiously, Ricky began to realize that it was getting harder and harder to breathe as the vortex around him continued spinning, sucking away his oxygen and therefore depleting his fire abilities.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking at the scoreboard in a panic, EJ saw that there was only thirty seconds left on the clock. He ran towards the shredder, ready to release the dummy when he heard Ricky coughing from inside the tornado, falling to his knees as he began losing consciousness from the lack of oxygen.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Grunting in frustration, EJ abandoned the mannequin for the time being, running towards Ricky and Jonah and hurling large icicles at the opposing team member, pinning him to the clear barrier and stopping his control over the tornado. The vortex around Ricky dropped and he gulped in a large breath of air as he regained his senses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The people in the crowd began counting down the time left as EJ pulled Ricky to his feet.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>10</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you trust me?” the older boy rushed out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>9.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?!?” Ricky breathed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>8.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just say yes!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>7.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I trust you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>6.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna throw you and you’re gonna use your fire to propel yourself to the citizen so you can grab it, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>5.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“WHAT?!?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>4</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can do it! I believe in you!” EJ yelled, lifting Ricky off the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>3.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky had no time to argue as he was being thrown in the air, screaming before his body took over for him, fire appearing at his feet to propel him in the direction of the mannequin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>2.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He held out his arms to grab the dummy, detaching it from the rope as he narrowly avoided being ripped to pieces by the shredder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>1.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The buzzer went off, a deafening sound that radiated throughout the gymnasium as Ricky flew around the ring uncontrollably before colliding unceremoniously with EJ, falling on top of him as the mannequin was thrown out of his arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“TIME!” Coach Boomer declared, “She’s alive!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The crowd erupted in victorious cheers as they applauded the two boys who were able to complete their task at the last second. Ricky caught his breath as his eyes widened in horror at the position he was in, EJ just flashing him a cocky smirk as the younger boy scrambled to get off of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sitting up, the senior offered him a hand to pull each other off of the ground, “Not bad, Ricky. Didn’t think you had it in you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What, that I’d be able to save the citizen?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I didn’t actually know if you’d be able to fly. Was just kinda guessing there, but good thing you could, right? You would've been ripped to shreds with the mannequin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky hit him on the arm in disbelief, “Dickhead! I can’t believe you did that!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The junior shook his head as they made their way out of the gym, EJ following behind closely as they both suppressed their smiles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Up in the principal’s box, the Evans siblings looked over their clipboards, adding red checks next to the boxes by Ricky and EJ’s names.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thank you all very much for the birthday wishes! it seriously made my day even if i dont know any of you LMFAO and thank you all for the wonderful comments!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. this is for euphoria</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ah ha ha ˙ ͜ʟ˙</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>By the time their final detention session came around after school, both boys were exhausted from their battle, slumping in their desks as Mr. Mazarra repeated the same spiel he had given them the past four days.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know the drill by now: I don’t wanna be here. I don’t care about you. Don’t do anything stupid. Goodbye.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, the two boys were left alone in the room for their last detention together. If Ricky was being honest with himself, he was actually going to kind of miss their little sessions. But Ricky was rarely ever honest with himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ stretched in his seat, rubbing his shoulder as he winced in pain before he spoke, “Fuck, my body still hurts from that match in gym today.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky rolled his neck, cringing as he heard a crack, “Yeah, same.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hill and Turner really did a number on us, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Ricky scoffed, crossing his arms. “Turner almost fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed </span>
  </em>
  <span>me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re welcome, by the way. You know, for saving your life and all,” the older boy smirked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, thank you so much for saving me from suffocating to death just to throw me at a </span>
  <em>
    <span>shredder</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How can I ever repay you?” the junior deadpanned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The senior boy doubled over laughing before sucking in a sharp breath, holding onto his shoulder as it seared in pain. “Shit. Can you repay me by taking away the ache in my shoulders? Hill’s boulder really fucked me up when it pinned me against the wall.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky hesitated before responding as he stood up, “Uh, I don’t know if you’re serious but-- I can try?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you gonna do?” EJ questioned sarcastically, his eyebrows knitted together. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Burn </span>
  </em>
  <span>my muscles back together?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other boy huffed, “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if you ever paid attention in Elemental Manipulation with Miss Jenn, you’d know that some people with fire powers have an ability called healing fire that can take away pain--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re boring me to death, Bowen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky frowned. Since when were they back to last names? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, if you’re gonna be annoying I’m not even gonna try and help you,” he grumbled, turning away from the other boy before a hand reached out to grab his wrist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He hoped EJ didn’t feel his pulse get faster as the other boy placated, “Hey, I was kidding, okay? Just use your...healer flame or whatever.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Healing fire</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What. ever</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky rolled his eyes as EJ stood up across from him, turning around so that he was facing the older boy’s back. Momentarily he was distracted by the strong, broad shoulders in front of him, gulping as he held his hands out and splayed his fingers against the material of the thin blue t-shirt that spread across EJ’s back. The senior’s muscles tensed at the contact as he took a sharp intake of breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Relax, okay?” Ricky comforted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ mumbled irritably but he loosened his shoulders anyway, “You better not burn my shirt off….”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I will not be held liable for any burnt shirts,” he muttered, closing his eyes and concentrating as he produced a gentle fire from his hands, the flames radiating from his fingers a light yellow color compared to his usual reddish orange.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” the senior gasped, his body melting as Ricky rubbed the sore tension from his muscles, moving his hands across EJ’s shoulders, rubbing his neck, and the first few knobs of his spine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Surprisingly, the flames radiating from Ricky’s hands weren’t burning through the thin material of the shirt underneath them, the energy emanating from his fingers more akin to glowing heat rather than actual fire.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky hummed to himself as he felt the hard muscles of EJ’s back, working through the knots and stress as the older boy’s head lolled backwards in relaxation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ tried </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> hard to suppress the moans that were threatening to spill past his lips, but whatever Ricky was doing with his hands just felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>so fucking good </span>
  </em>
  <span>that he just--</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuuuck, Ricky</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The senior held his breath with wide eyes as the younger boy’s hands stilled on his body.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky stood frozen as his mind registered what had just happened, the flames from his hands now extinguished in embarrassment as his cheeks turned pink. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did he just moan??!? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought to himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ quickly turned around to face Ricky, stepping back in surprise when he realized how close their faces were. Ricky’s hands still hovered awkwardly in the air before he hurriedly put them</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>down, opting to play with a loose thread on his shirt and pointedly avoiding eye contact with the senior.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh,” EJ coughed. “Sorry, that was weird.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky laughed uncomfortably, sparing a glance back at the other boy before bringing his gaze back down to the floor and dismissing him with a wave of his hand, “Oh, no it’s...it’s no big deal. It's fine. Ya know, natural reaction and all that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>EJ screamed internally as the blush on his cheeks grew darker, “Yup.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The junior shifted from foot to foot as the stupid part of his brain possesed him to blurt out abruptly, “I’m gonna miss this.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy opposite of him crinkled his eyebrows in confusion as he asked, “Gonna miss...massaging my back?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky wanted to jump off a bridge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I meant...</span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like detention, I guess. Talking to you and hanging out with you and stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I’m gonna miss it, too,” EJ whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>That made Ricky look up from where he was twiddling his fingers, finally making eye contact with the other boy’s icy teal eyes as his heart beat out of his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we make a pretty good pair,” he admitted softly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too,” the senior agreed quietly, taking a step closer to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not as bad as I thought you were.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t miss the way EJ’s eyes glanced down to his lips for a split second, “I agree.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I like talking to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Same.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two boys stared at each other for a few more painstaking seconds before EJ leaned in, capturing Ricky’s lips with his own in a soft kiss. The younger boy gasped, eyes wide as a million thoughts raced through his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy fucking shit EJ Caswell is kissing me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But just as soon as it started, the other pulled away quickly, rubbing his neck sheepishly and looking anywhere but Ricky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, I’m sorry I don’t know why I-- did I not read that correctly?” EJ asked, breaking the younger boy out of his trance as he continued babbling nervously. “I just kind of thought we were, like, implying that we felt the same way about each other? I mean I can’t be the only one that’s felt this </span>
  <em>
    <span>tension</span>
  </em>
  <span> between us since the moment we stepped foot in detention right--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was cut off by Ricky’s lips on his, finally having the mind to kiss the other boy back, his brain always working ten times slower than the rest of the world. EJ reciprocated immediately, moving his hands to place them around Ricky’s waist and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh, his hands are big</span>
  </em>
  <span>, while the younger boy held onto his neck, bringing him closer as the kiss deepened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky could barely catch his breath as EJ’s tongue darted out to lick the seam of his lips, earning him a gasp from the younger boy and allowing him to slip his tongue into his mouth. EJ fully wrapped his arms around the junior’s torso, bringing them chest to chest as close as possible as their tongues moved against each other fiercely. Ricky’s hands migrated to EJ’s perfectly styled brown hair, fingers tangling in the soft strands and pulling him closer. Teasing, EJ nipped at the younger’s bottom lip and pulled at it, Ricky humming as he sucked on the older boy’s tongue obscenely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His heart was beating a mile a minute, exhilaration running through his body as he felt a hand slowly drift to grab his ass and </span>
  <em>
    <span>squeeze</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, no one ever told Ricky a makeout session could be this fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But just when it was getting good, he could swear he heard footsteps approaching and it seemed as though EJ heard them too as the two boys separated abruptly, a line of spit connecting them. (Which, unfortunately, Ricky didn’t have enough time to think of how incredibly </span>
  <em>
    <span>sexy</span>
  </em>
  <span> that was) as EJ pushed him away roughly, letting him stumble to sit in his desk as Mr. Mazarra strode into the classroom, looking as unimpressed as ever.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teacher looked between the two boys, Ricky sitting in his chair with his hands over his crotch, pointedly trying to hide his boner, EJ leaning against his own desk, flashing the man an innocent smile (and praying he wouldn’t notice how swollen their lips were).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know what just happened. But I’m going to pretend it didn’t,” the man stated simply before concluding. “I know it’s only been an hour but I just got a call about a family emergency so I’ll need to leave which means it’s your lucky day and you get to leave early too. So. Goodbye.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man turned on his heel, exiting the classroom without another word as the boys were once again left in a tense silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Coughing awkwardly, EJ tried to break the tension by suggesting, “I guess we should get going then, huh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky refused to speak in fear that his voice would end up in a high-pitched crack, opting for a slow nod instead as the pair put on their backpacks and headed out of the classroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>They walked side by side once again as EJ pulled out his phone, neither of them speaking but both of them sneaking glances at each other from the corner of their eyes when they thought the other wasn’t looking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Outside, the same car that always picked EJ up from detention pulled up in front of the school, waiting for him to head down the steps. Before he did however, the senior turned to Ricky, placing a hand underneath the younger boy’s chin and planting one last kiss on his lips, causing him to blush furiously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See you on Monday, Ricky!’ he called, smirking as he ran down the stairs with a bounce to his step, clicking his heels before getting inside the passenger’s side of the car and pulling away from the school as Ricky just watched him go, mouth agape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He placed his face in his hands and screamed quietly, unable to comprehend how his life had ended up like this.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so first of all, as always: thank you for taking the time to read this story and for all the wonderful feedback you all have left! and many thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday once again &lt;3</p>
<p>i did just want to bring something up, however. i hope most of you haven't been living under a rock and are aware of the horrible reasons j*shua b*assett is being cancelled. (and if you're unaware: he has been accused of sexual assault (one of which was proven false, the two others which were not addressed, he said a anti-lgbtq+ slur, he only posted about BLM when people called him out on being silent) i've seen a lot creators in this fandom, who's work i adored and who i adore, delete their stories and or discontinue them. i completely and utterly respect that. and i personally don't want to seem complicit or like im an apologist for behavior like j*sh's.</p>
<p>as a queer person myself i recognize that he said the slur many years ago and that people can learn and change, and he has apologized for it. as a person who has been sexually assaulted, it very much disheartens me to see allegations against someone who i supported. i'm going to give the him the benefit of the doubt (not much) as the other two cases don't really have much merit. but nevertheless, it always our job to believe the victim. as a person of color, im happy that his fans kept him accountable and that calling him out on being silent on BLM made him speak up. he's a white person with a platform and should use it.</p>
<p>with all that being said, im choosing to detach j*oshua from these characters that i have created worlds and alternate universes for. im way too deep into writing both this story and the intentions ending for me to just up and leave them; it would be a disservice to not only my readers but myself as these stories have definitely helped me improve as a writer. however, the ricky bowen i write is not the one j*shua b*ssett plays.</p>
<p>whoever is reading this, what you want to picture in your head is up to you and who you choose to support is up to you. i'm not completely cancelling him and i do hope that he changes as a person/the allegations are proven false. but in an effort to stay true to the causes that i stand up for, i'm going to denounce him.</p>
<p>i'm not sure where im going with this or if anyone will even read it but i just really needed to bring it up bc it has made me uncomfortable to write for this ship at times knowing the person im picturing in my head would do such horrible things (reason why it's taking so long to finish intentions).</p>
<p>with all this being said, i hope you all choose to stay on this journey with me and i very very much hope that you are all keeping up with everything going on in the world!! i'm not entirely sure what the age range of my audience is, but nevertheless you have a voice and you should use it to speak up against the injustices of the world and stand up for what you believe in!</p>
<p>xoxo,<br/>flow3rs</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. this is for you and i</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ricky grabbed the books he needed for his first classes from his locker when Big Red walked up to him abruptly, almost making him jump out of his skin.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Jesus Christ! Please don’t do that, Red.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sorry,” the other boy apologized bashfully, before opening his own locker next to Ricky’s. “You know, you’d think now that you're a <em> hero </em> or whatever you’d be better at detecting something like that.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Red rolled his eyes in good nature as he grabbed his books before asking, “So, how was your week-long detention with EJ? Not as bad as you thought it would be, I hope.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky blushed, remembering what happened between him and the senior on Friday; the way his lips felt against his, how his hands grabbed him possessively, the line of spit that connected them as they separated…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey! Earth to Ricky??” Big Red yelled, waving a hand in front of his face and breaking him out of his trance.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, uh, yeah you were right. It wasn’t that bad actually. I think we might even be...friends?” the junior stuttered nervously.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thinking about it, what <em> were </em> him and EJ? The senior had mentioned that they both felt the same way about each other, but what <em> did </em> they feel about each other? “Friends” was the closest thing Ricky could come up with in his mind but Big Red was also his “friend” and they had never sucked each other’s tongues, so. Maybe “friends” wasn’t exactly the best word for it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And thinking about it <em> more </em> (because Ricky was paranoid), it hadn’t occurred to him until right now how complicated it would be to be anything <em> more than friends </em> with EJ.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>First of all: they had the same ex-girlfriend. How would Nini feel knowing that her ex-boyfriend and her other ex-boyfriend had swapped spit (and that the ten minute makeout with EJ was ten times better than <em> anything </em> RIcky had ever done with her) ((Not that he would ever tell her that)).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Second of all: just last week the two of them <em> hated </em> each other. Just last week, they almost destroyed the whole fucking cafeteria because they got into a goddamn fight <em> because they hated each other </em> . How were they going to explain to anyone that they suddenly <em> liked </em> each other after just five days?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Except that...did they even <em> like </em> each other? They didn’t really have the chance to talk about anything, opting to just head straight to macking on each other’s mouths instead. What if they just needed to release a tension that was building up from the moment they stepped into that classroom for detention? What if it was just a one time thing? </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> What if it didn’t mean anything? </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And <em> that </em> was what Ricky was most afraid of. Despite everything, despite the years of getting on each other’s nerves; the relentless bickering, the teasing, the negative attitudes towards each other. Although he absolutely hated to admit it, deep down Ricky always knew that that teasing meant something. To him at least.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t think much of the way he would always catch EJ staring at him from across the cafeteria. Or the way he’d purposely walk by the senior after getting his food, pretending to ignore him when he was really just trying to make his presence known. Or the way EJ would always find an excuse to come to their lunch table just to bicker with him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Until now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Jesus Christ </em> , Ricky thought to himself, <em> So this whole time I’ve just had a giant crush on the fucking idiot? </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky shook his head, closing his locker as Big Red rambled on next to him, every word the ginger saying going in one ear and exiting out the other as he endured his silent existential crisis.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was once again broken from his thoughts as a familiar blue varsity jacket slid in next to him, flashing him a smirk.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey,” EJ said coolly, cutting off whatever the ginger was talking about as Ricky looked at him with wide eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Big Red looked between the pair before having the sense to shut his own locker and excuse himself. “Uh, I’m gonna head downstairs to Mr. Mazarra’s class. I’ll see you later, Ricky. Sup, EJ,” he said, giving the senior a nod and walking away, leaving the two boys alone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky’s heart started racing as EJ leaned over him against the lockers, his smile cocky as he chewed his gum loudly. Not that Ricky was looking at his mouth or anything.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wanna walk to Miss Jenn’s class together?” the senior asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Uh, sure,” he replied, holding his books close to his chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pair began walking down the hall close to each other, Ricky pointedly staring at the ground to calm himself down when he felt EJ place a hand on his lower back and almost tripped over his own feet.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This was going to be a long day.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And it was <em> fucking </em> long.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After an uneventful hour in Miss Jenn’s class, the pair went their separate ways as their schedules differed, EJ sending him off with a wink as he went in the opposite direction of the hallway. (Which promptly caused Ricky to walk backwards into someone and drop all of his books.)</p>
<p>Ricky didn’t retain a single thing in any of his other classes as he continued to overthink his situation with EJ, continually trying to pay attention to what his teachers were saying and <em> continually </em>letting his mind replace the head of his teachers with EJ’s face in his fantasies.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> God, he was fucked </em>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gratefully, the bell rang and he was able to head to the cafeteria for lunch, his friends a much needed distraction from the constant picture of EJ’s bright smile in his mind.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The group of heroes and sidekicks sat together, Carlos and Gina engaged in a heated discussion over what kind of meat the lunch was supposed to be with Ricky and the others giving their two cents once in a while, when a cough interrupted them from above.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>All of them turned to see EJ holding his lunch tray, looking at the group expectantly while Ricky tried to hide his panic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The senior nodded to Big Red who was sitting next to Ricky, all but commanding, “Move.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The ginger’s eyebrows shot up incredulously, looking to the group for answers, only to be met with shrugs and confused expressions. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, he turned to Ricky next to him who looked between his best friend and his...<em> whatever </em>. EJ gave him an impatient look, forcing him to look back at Big Red as he shrugged, “Move?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The other boy was extremely confused, but did as he was told anyway as EJ easily slipped into the spot next to Ricky who sat next to him, his back stick straight. The senior began taking a bite out of his apple before stopping, noticing everyone at the table staring at him with a mixture of knitted eyebrows and wide eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I help you?” he prodded irritatedly, scaring everyone into continuing with their food.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nini looked between the two boys wearily, catching Ricky’s eye and making a face to silently ask what was going on while the boy just shrugged nervously. Ashlyn looked knowingly at her cousin, shaking her head when the senior stuck his tongue out at her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So like...why are you sitting here?” Ricky hesitated to ask, knowing it was the question everyone wanted an answer to.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ turned to him with a straight face as he continued to chew his apple, “Why are you so concerned?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky narrowed his eyes. “Why are you so annoying?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why do you insist on asking me stupid questions?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why do you <em> insist </em> on being stupid?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why do you pretend not to like it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“WHY,” Kourtney interjected, putting everyone out of their misery. “Can’t you both just shut the fuck up and let us eat our goddamn lunch in peace!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pair nodded with wide eyes as everyone laughed at them and agreed with Kourtney, things seemingly going back to normal as the group went on with their conversations. Ricky and EJ looked at each other bashfully, a smile playing at their lips as they tried to hide their amusement.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky blushed to himself as he pushed around the peas on his tray, his mind caught up in thoughts of sunshine, rainbows, and EJ’s seafoam green eyes when said owner of eyes placed a hand on his knee under the table and made his brain short circuit. Something that seemed to happen much more frequently since the two of them started hanging out more.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lunch ended and the school day came to a close as the bell rang, students flooding the hallways in a rush to catch their buses and head home. Ricky stood at his locker, focused on putting everything he needed in his backpack when EJ came up to him, leaning against his locker.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey,” Ricky said, distracted as he zipped up his bag.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You look so cute when you’re rushing,” EJ teased, making Ricky stop in his tracks to face him, pursing his lips with an unsure expression on his face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“EJ...what are you doing?” he asked, figuring there was no better time than the present to get the conversation that was plaguing the back of his mind out of the way.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ stood up straighter, rising from the locker he was leaning on as his eyebrows knit together in uncertainty, “What do you mean?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Like...what is this?” Ricky wondered, pointing between the two of them. “What are we?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The senior sighed, stepping closer to him as he looked up at the older boy through his dark lashes. “I mean...why do we have to make it complicated by putting labels on it? I like you, you like me, we both like kissing each other,” EJ said, giving the boy in front of him a suggestive look before continuing. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, we can just take it slow and see where it goes, okay? Is that cool?” he asked, gently placing a hand on Ricky’s arm and looking at him with pleading eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The junior hesitated but he couldn’t resist those eyes as hard as he tried, replying, “I guess.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Cool!” EJ exclaimed. “Listen, I gotta get going and you probably have a bus to catch so I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And with that, the senior bent down to place a kiss on Ricky’s lips, catching the attention of some of their classmates around them. He whispered a small goodbye against the junior’s lips before Ricky leant back up to chase his mouth for one last kiss.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ flashed him a shy smile as he headed off down the hallway, turning around when he was almost out of Ricky’s sight to wave and get one last look at him. Ricky stared after him with stars in his eyes, not realizing how stupid he must’ve looked standing in the middle of the hallway until a girl standing at her locker coughed awkwardly. Broken out of his trance, he pointedly ignored the stares that were shot in his direction as he rushed outside to make it for his bus.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He greeted Nini as he boarded, sliding into the spot next to her as the bus took off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s got you smiling so wide?” Nini asked, a smirk hinting at the corner of her mouth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh, you know,” he shrugged, his grin growing wider as he thought of blue varsity jackets, tan skin, and mint gum. “Nothing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But to the rest of the Sky High, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Word of Ricky and EJ’s relationship that wasn’t a relationship but it was a relationship spread around the school like wildfire, ridiculous rumors circulating about them and what people had witnessed between them in the hallway. Ricky should've seen it all coming, what with the fact that EJ was one of the most popular kids in school and Ricky was...a nobody.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I heard that they were aggressively making out in the middle of the hallway. With, like, lots of tongue.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I bet EJ’s only getting with him because he suddenly has powers. I mean, what other reason is there?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Nathan told me that Jonah told him that Gina said that Carlos said that he heard Kourtney talking to Ashlyn who was talking to EJ who said that he and Ricky only got together to piss Nini off.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s jaw clenched as he heard some freshman girls next to him in the hallway whispering, catching his and EJ’s name and words such as “wet”, “sex”, and “janitor’s closet”. He rolled his eyes before slamming his locker and turning to them, giving them an annoyed look as he subconsciously set his shoulders on fire in irritation. The two girls squealed in fear, leaving the junior to sigh and hit his head against his closed locker dejectedly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look terrible,” Big Red commented, appearing out of nowhere to open his own locker. “What’s wrong? EJ not here to give you some kisses?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky groaned in embarrassment, putting his face in his hands. “I’m sorry for not telling you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Red closed his locker, turning to Ricky, “Hey, I’m not mad that you didn’t tell me about EJ. I honestly thought it’d happen a lot sooner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other boy looked at him incredulously but the ginger ignored him, “I’m mad you didn’t tell me that you guys had hot, steamy sex in the boiler room and Mr. Mazarra caught you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We did </span>
  <em>
    <span>what?!!?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Big Red laughed, amused at his best friend’s reaction. “Hey man, that’s just </span>
  <em>
    <span>one </span>
  </em>
  <span>of the rumors going around,” the boy paused, his smile dropping. “They </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> just rumors, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, they are just rumors!” Ricky seethed. “All we’ve done is kiss. Like, we’ve only made out once.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, but, like, I need the details. Was he good? Did he use too much tongue? Did his breath stink? You’re not giving me much to work with here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jesus, you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> normal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Heyyy, I’m your best friend. You’re supposed to tell your best friend these things!” Big Red whined.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, fine,” Ricky sighed. “Yes, he was good. Like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> good. No, he used a good amount of tongue. And, no, his breath smelled minty fresh and also...tasted minty fresh.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The other boy squealed, hitting him on the arm excitedly, “Oh my God, this is so scandalous!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky rolled his eyes as Ashlyn and Seb walked up to them, joining their conversation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky! I cannot believe you didn’t tell us about you and EJ,” Seb chided.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you guys didn’t start dating sooner. I mean, you’ve had this sexual tension for </span>
  <em>
    <span>months</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was about time one of you made a move,” Ashlyn stated matter-of-factly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky tensed, hesitating before saying, “Uh, I mean, we’re not, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating</span>
  </em>
  <span> or anything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” Seb asked, head bobbing to the side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I asked him what we were yesterday and he said we didn’t need to put a label on it? I mean, I’m cool with it, I guess. I don’t wanna rush anything, of course--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn groaned impatiently, rolling her eyes, “Ugh, EJ’s so stupid, I can’t believe I’m even related to him.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“...Why?” Ricky asked, scratching his neck uncomfortably.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s so annoying. He never wants to admit when he has </span>
  <em>
    <span>feelings.</span>
  </em>
  <span> We were talking about you over the weekend--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s face lit up, a small smile on his lips, “He talks about me to you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn shot him a glare before commanding, “Why do men think it’s okay to interrupt women when they’re in the middle of speaking?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I...am so sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. Never do it again,” she warned. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he was being all gross and lovey-dovey like ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>ooh, today in detention me and Ricky talked about this and it was so nice’</span>
  </em>
  <span> or </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘oh my God, I think I caught Ricky looking at my lips, does that mean he likes me?’ </span>
  </em>
  <span>And then when you guys finally kiss and admit that there’s something there he suddenly doesn’t wanna commit and put a label on it? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh, he frustrates me!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky and the other boys laughed, but his cheeks burned slightly, knowing that EJ talked about him like that. It was kind of...</span>
  <em>
    <span>endearing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, I really am okay with it for now,” he said, though he was grateful for Ashlyn’s concern. “I’m not really looking for a super serious relationship right now, especially with everything going on at home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His friends looked at him sadly, knowing he was talking about his parents divorce. Seb rested his head on one of Ricky’s shoulders while Big Red put a comforting hand on the other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So if EJ just wants something casual, that’s okay with me,” he finished.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn pursed her lips as the school bell rang, signaling the start of the start of the next period. “I just don’t want either of you to get hurt,” she admitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>He smiled at his friend as he adjusted the backpack on his shoulder, “I know. Thanks for looking out for us, Ash.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! You both have the emotional capacity of a blueberry scone. So...who else would look out for you?” she questioned seriously before walking away to her class, leaving Ricky wondering what a blueberry scone even was.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>does anyone else just like...constantly refresh the ricky/ej tag to see if anything new will ever pop up 👁👄👁 but like...it never does...i swear theres like 3 ppl carrying this fandom</p>
<p>but anyway...who here keeps up with tiktok drama ❤️  what are ur thoughts on the lilhuddy vs. the whole app situation that went down last night 🙈 im literally a legal adult and im keeping up with this shit and for what 💔 lemme just move my bang back into its place so i can unsee this shit chile...stan charli damelio for clear skin✨</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. in the midst of all this darkness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw: homophobia, shitty parents, &amp; consensual underage sex</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next few weeks went by rather uneventfully for Ricky, the only difference from the usual school day being that EJ was around a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> more than before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior insisted on meeting Ricky at his locker before every class, catching up with small talk before sending him off to his class with a kiss, had permanently migrated to Ricky’s lunch table and established that the spot next to the junior was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> (Big Red was pissed off about it for a few days, but eventually got over it and used it as an excuse to sit next to Ashlyn), and had even began </span>
  <em>
    <span>putting his arm around Ricky</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the halls.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it’s not that Ricky particularly disliked all the attention from EJ (in fact, he very much </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>it, even if he would never admit it. The senior would oftentimes make him blush so hard that he would accidentally set up himself on fire).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just didn’t like the attention from </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone else</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ was one of the most popular boys in school, so it should've gone without saying that all eyes would be on Ricky now that the older boy had chosen him to spend more time with. But what he didn’t expect were the jocks that would interrupt their lunch to dap EJ up, or the amount of freshman girls that would follow them around in the hallways and squeal everytime they kissed, or the dozens of people whispering about them anytime they were in the same </span>
  <em>
    <span>vicinity</span>
  </em>
  <span> of each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking annoying</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The amount of people that suddenly wanted to be Ricky’s friend now that he had powers and a hot boyfriend was fucking unbelievable. (Not that EJ was his boyfriend. But, like. Ricky didn’t really know what else to call him).</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So he was happy that this weekend his parents were away on a mission somewhere (Mars? The Moon? He doesn’t remember what they said), and he was able to invite some friends over to hang out and chill. A break from the craziness and the overwhelming student body of Sky High was much needed, so Ricky decided to host a small get together with his tight-knit group of friends, planning to binge movies and throw popcorn at each other’s faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was an overall laidback night: just him, Big Red, Ashlyn, Nini, EJ, and Seb at first, then Kourtney, Gina, and Carlos coming over when they all decided they needed more excitement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except that, the “small get together with his tight-knit group of friends” soon became something much more than that when Nathan Hill and Jonah Turner arrived saying something about Gina telling them to come. (“I’m so sorry,” she apologized profusely. “They asked me if I had plans tonight so I said I was coming here and I guess they took that as an invitation!”) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon EJ’s water polo teammates showed up, wanting to “crash his night off” from practice and Ricky was forced to let them in. (“Babe, I promise this will never happen again. I just </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t wanna get on their bad sides right now,” the senior pleaded.) </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then some random girls knocked on the door, explaining that Carlos had invited them over. (“They’re underclassmen from the drama department! I just wanted them to feel more involved with us,” he explained.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that, Ricky lost track of who he was letting into the house and he might’ve accidentally left the door open because it was impossible he had opened the door for </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>many people. He’d never really been to a cliche high school party before but he would think that this is what it looks like as he walked down his hallway, pushing past people to find his friends. Ricky didn’t recognize half the faces he scooted past and that fact made him extremely anxious. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do all these people even go to Sky High??</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>many</span>
  </em>
  <span> people in his house must have brought alcohol because people were suddenly walking around with red solo cups and different colored cans of who knows what, spilling shit all over the floor as Ricky stepped over them, yelling at them to clean it up. Someone must’ve also figured out how to work the sound system in Ricky’s living room and connect their phone to it because it was blasting music at what seemed like maximum volume and the deepest bass he’d ever heard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could barely hear himself think as he panicked, looking around to see people </span>
  <em>
    <span>everywhere</span>
  </em>
  <span>: going up and down the stairs, dancing in the living room, pouring drinks in the kitchen. At this point, he didn’t even know if his friends were still there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky looked up as he saw a random kid jump and latch himself to the wall like a spider. “HEY!” he screamed, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>GET OFF THE FUCKING CEILING, ASSHOLE!!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> to no avail.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Trying to control </span>
  <em>
    <span>regular</span>
  </em>
  <span> high schoolers at a </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal </span>
  </em>
  <span>house party was probably hard enough. Trying to control high schoolers with </span>
  <em>
    <span>superpowers</span>
  </em>
  <span> at a party held at the house of the most famous </span>
  <em>
    <span>superheroes</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the world was a level of difficulty Ricky didn’t even know possible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly Gina appeared out of nowhere, crashing into him and holding onto his shoulders for support as she held a red cup in her hand, laughing. Realizing who she was holding onto, her eyes widened in glee, slurring excitedly, “Oh em geeee! It’s Rick-eeee! I couldn’t find you, I thought you left!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Gina. I live here. I can’t leave,” he deadpanned, holding her tighter as she lost balance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I know you’re probably soooo annoyed that there are so many people here and I am soooo sorry that I accidentally spilled the beans but you should try to have fun!!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can I have fun when there are people climbing my ceiling and throwing my furniture around with their super strength!?!?” he raged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Heyyyy</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she pouted. “The stick in your ass so far up, bro. Maybe you should ask EJ to take it out and replace it with something else,” she teased, wiggling her eyebrows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>GINA!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’M KIDDING!” she laughed, regaining her balance and holding onto the wall as they separated, “But seriously, chill out and have some fun for once! Here, drink this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She held out a small bottle that held a copper liquid, the label reading </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fireball</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Ricky took it, looking at her suspiciously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s cinnamon whiskey! You like spicy things, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged but took a swig, figuring his friend was right: if he was accidentally going to host a party at his house, he might as well try to have fun, right? His parents weren’t even going to be home until Monday so he had time to clean if things got out of hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The golden liquid burned down his throat, but he didn’t mind it, opting to down the rest of the bottle quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey! I didn’t say you could finish it!” Gina argued, but was still smiling goofily in her drunk state.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too late,” he stated, before she was being pulled away by Kourtney and Carlos.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kourt is gonna make a disco ball in the living room with her powers!” Carlos squealed. “That means we </span>
  <em>
    <span>must</span>
  </em>
  <span> dance!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio waved goodbye to him excitedly and he was left standing in the hallway, wondering what to do when someone scooped him into their arms and he was met face to face with a mildly drunk EJ Caswell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi cutie, I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” he smirked, pressing small kisses on Ricky’s cheek and traveling down to his neck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky blushed, holding onto EJ’s shoulder as the older boy held his waist and continued sucking a hickey into his neck. “Yeah I-- hgngh --I was trying to find you too,” he replied breathlessly, getting distracted as the senior sunk his teeth into his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ hummed against him, the vibration sending shivers up Ricky’s spine as he whispered in the junior’s ear, “Hmm, why don’t we go somewhere a little more quiet? Somewhere those freshman girls across the hall won’t be gawking at us, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky pointedly snapped his head towards said freshmen, sending them a glare as they ran away quickly before turning back to his boy-man-friend-thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to, but then who’s gonna keep all these idiots in check?” he asked at the same time that someone shape shifted into a frog and began jumping down the hallway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ rolled his eyes, pointing as Big Red ran after the animal/man, his elastic arms stretched out comically in front of him. “Look, Ginger Man’s got it all under control!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come back here, you fucker!” the boy yelled, noticing EJ and Ricky and sending them a quick smile before continuing his chase. “If you get fucking stepped on that’s one more amphibian added to the endangered species list!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys turned back towards each other, Ricky flashing the older boy an extremely uneasy look before EJ groaned, taking his hand. “It’ll be fine, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” he reluctantly agreed, letting the other boy lead him down the hall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ turned to him with a goofy smile on his face as he realized, “I don’t know where I’m going, I’ve never been to your house before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky laughed, glancing behind the boy in front of him and seeing the pristine wooden doors of his father’s office. Swallowing his anxiety and saying </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck it</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he lead EJ to the doors, opening them quickly before pushing the senior inside and locking the door behind them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior looked around, taking in the book-lined shelves and dark mahogany table in the middle of the room. “Huh. I don’t know why I expected a little a bit more from Thunderbolt, but I guess this is cool…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Smirking, Ricky went over to the bookcase, taking out </span>
  <em>
    <span>Chaos Magick Through the Ages</span>
  </em>
  <span> and watching as EJ’s eyes widened as the room lowered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No</span>
  <em>
    <span> fucking </span>
  </em>
  <span>way,” he gaped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Way</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Ricky boasted as the room came to a stop, opening the wide doors and letting EJ into the lair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior boy hurried out of the room excitedly, spinning in circles as he took in everything around him: the super suits, the weapon supply, the different artifacts lit up on pedestals. He swiftly turned back to Ricky, overwhelmed in awe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. This is so cool. I can’t believe you’re showing me this,” he gushed, eyes darting around at everything in the room, not knowing where to look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky stepped down from the room, walking closer to the senior and chuckling at his reaction, “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ went up to the artifacts, reading each plaque carefully as if he were at a prestigious museum, “You’re so lucky to have such </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span> parents.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The comment made Ricky’s easy smile fade as he muttered under his breath, “Yeah, it’s so </span>
  <em>
    <span>awesome</span>
  </em>
  <span> how they’re getting divorced…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior quickly turned to him, eyebrows knitted together in shock, “What?!? But they’re the most iconic superhero couple </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Not even Agent Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez come close to them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what I said,” Ricky agreed through his teeth, aimlessly walking around the room to distract himself from his negative feelings. “But I guess they don’t actually care about people as much as they say they do. Not even me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, don’t say that. They care about you, of course they do. People fall out of love all the time, it’s not your fault if they did,” EJ comforted, walking over to the junior and pulling him in for a hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I know...it just sucks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior pulled away slightly, looking down at the younger boy and confessing quietly, “If it makes you feel better, sometimes I feel like my parents don’t even remember I exist. They don’t even have powers but they’re never home, always on some business trip somewhere. At least if they were super, I’d be able to admire what they do but I honestly don’t even know what their jobs are.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky chuckled sadly, “God, parents fucking suck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They really do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It just so happened that they had ended up standing next to Shadowglare’s scepter, the devilish glow of the red gemstone within the staff catching EJ’s attention.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what’s that?” he wondered, interlacing his finger’s with Ricky’s as they separated from their hug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I don’t really know, to be honest. My dad said something about it belonging to some old villain lady who, like, tried to destroy the world but then she disappeared and no one knows where she went. He said it has, like, the most powerful and dangerous magic to ever exist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ shuddered, “I don’t know why, but it’s giving me the creeps.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same,” Ricky agreed, pulling the older boy by the hand back to the office. “Let’s head back upstairs.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boys left without a second glance at the staff. As they were taken back upstairs however, the stone in the scepter began to glow even more than it had the last time Ricky had visited the lair, shaking almost angrily with it’s gold confines. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But the pair were upstairs before they could notice it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ was about to make his way back to the party when Ricky grabbed his wrist, looking at him with innocent eyes, “Hey, I said we should head upstairs...doesn’t mean we have to go back out there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior smirked, Ricky pulling him closer by the hand and walking backwards until his back hit the wall of books, “Well, how do you suggest we pass the time in this </span>
  <em>
    <span>empty</span>
  </em>
  <span> room?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>IIIII dunno</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Ricky drawled, pursing his lips. He held onto the lapels of EJ’s varsity jacket as they crowded into each other’s space, noses brushing and breath mingling. “We could, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss </span>
  </em>
  <span>or something. I don’t know just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>suggestion</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, I think I like that suggestion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” the junior said seductively, looking up at EJ through his dark eyelashes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair met in the middle, their lips crashing in a kiss, melting against each other before deciding not to waste anymore time. Ricky bit the older’s bottom lip, earning him a gasp and allowing him to slip his tongue into EJ’s mouth. The senior’s grip on his waist tightened as he crowded Ricky against the wall, their bodies as close as they could possibly be and their mouths continuing to move against each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky’s heart beat wildly in his chest, keeping time with the muffled bass of the music from the party outside. The party that he almost forgot was even happening as he felt a knee press against his crotch, the friction making him let out an embarrassing squeal and run his hands through EJ’s brown hair roughly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They separated for a moment to catch their breath, before diving right back in even deeper and more passionately. Their tongues moved against each other, EJ’s licking the roof of Ricky’s mouth and causing the younger boy moan wantonly. The older boy would never tire of hearing him fall apart like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ sucked on Ricky’s tongue obscenely before removing his mouth from the other boy’s and migrating his lips from Ricky’s cheeks to his ear, giving it a small nip, and latching onto his neck to suck a mark onto the juncture. The junior whined, his whole body heating up as he subconsciously began rutting against EJ’s knee, seeking relief from his tight jeans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me make you feel good,” EJ whispered into his ear, his hand moving from Ricky’s waist to the front of his jeans, pressing down and rubbing the unmistakable hardness beneath the fabric.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And EJ didn’t need to be told twice, undoing the younger boy’s pants swiftly and pushing them down enough to wrap a hand around Ricky in his boxers, eliciting a shudder. He wasted no time, pushing his fingers past the waistband of the underwear and getting Ricky in his hand, pumping the other boy desperately. Ricky held onto EJ’s shoulders, anchoring himself as he tried to contain his groans, his breathing becoming labored. His eyes fluttered with every stroke of EJ’s large hand, seeing stars when the older boy swiped a thumb over his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Ricky moaned, a high pitched sound as he wrapped his arms around EJ even tighter, burying his face in the boy’s neck and biting to stifle his groans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ’s pace quickened and soon Ricky began feeling the familiar knot in his stomach, his legs shaky as he felt his impending orgasm rising underneath his skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky felt the fire bubbling in his blood and let the damn overflow, spilling over EJ’s hand. His legs gave out as he shook through his orgasm, EJ the only thing keeping him upright as he held Ricky in his arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let out of shaky breath as the older boy began tucking Ricky back in his jeans, wiping the cum on his hand on his own pants which should’ve been disgusting but Ricky was way too blissed out to care.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your turn,” the younger boy insisted, reaching for EJ’s fly but the senior blocked him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky pushed EJ’s hands away, unzipping his pants as he looked at the boy, saying seriously, “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to,” and dropping to his knees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ’s eye’s popped out of his head as he took in the sight before him: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ricky Bowen</span>
  </em>
  <span> on his knees, in his </span>
  <em>
    <span>father’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>office, pulling down his pants and looking at him with his mouth hanging open and his eyes filled with lust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His brain could barely comprehend what was happening when Ricky got a hand around his dick, giving it a tentative lick before wrapping his lips around the head. His hands shot out to grip the younger boy’s curls as Ricky went down further, his hand covering what his mouth couldn’t take. Ricky set a quick rhythm, tongue swirling around as he bobbed his head, spit slicking his chin as he breathed through his nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ goaned low in his throat with every movement of the boy below him, his voice cracking as he noted, “Fuck, you’re good at this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger boy keened at the praise, quickening his pace and hollowing his cheeks, earning a tighter grip in his hair as EJ moaned. Ricky could feel the senior’s orgasm hastily approaching, so he doubled his efforts, going down slightly farther on EJ’s cock and gagging when it hit the back of his throat. Ricky slid off for a moment to cough and catch his breath when his eyes widened as he looked around the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um, EJ?” he prodded, continuing to stroke the dick in front of him lazily and breaking the older boy out of his trance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Said boy looked down at him with glazed eyes, mumbling out a “Huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look around the room.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior did, trying to catch his breath but flushing in embarrassment as he noticed what Ricky was talking about. Small, iridescent icicles hovered in the air all around the room, shaking as if about to explode.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shit sorry. Sometimes my powers act up when I’m having...</span>
  <em>
    <span>strong</span>
  </em>
  <span> feelings,” he explained. He quickly raised a hand, breaking the icicles into small silver snowflakes that fell slowly onto every surface of the room, melting quickly where they landed. He laid his hands back in Ricky’s hair, stroking the curls almost absentmindedly as the younger boy licked a stripe up his cock, bringing him back to their previous task.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I kinda thought I had gotten better at controlling that...” EJ mumbled, breath shaky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s extremely endearing,” Ricky stated matter-of-factly before sliding back onto EJ’s dick, not waiting for a response from the senior. EJ groaned as the heat in his belly returned, Ricky swallowing around him and working tenfold to bring EJ to his climax.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior tensed, trying to control his hips from ramming into Ricky’s mouth, as he brokenly moaned out, “I’m gonna come.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that was all the warning Ricky got before EJ spilled down his throat in spurts. He tried his best to swallow all of it but it soon became too much and he pulled off, the last of EJ’s orgasm catching on his chin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ breathed heavily from above him, his eyes closed in bliss and his legs feeling like liquid as Ricky tucked him back into his jeans neatly, wiping his mouth with the back on his hand before standing back up. EJ’s eyes opened lethargically before he grabbed Ricky by the back of his neck and slowly brought him in for a deep kiss, they’re tongues sliding against each other softly, tasting himself on the younger boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He pulled away, searching Ricky’s face as he mumbled against his lips, “You just keep surprising me, Bowen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky smiled goofily, pushing lightly on EJ’s chest as he suggested, “We should probably head back to the party. We’ve been gone so long that people have probably made up some ridiculous rumors by now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took EJ by the hand, pulling him toward the door as the senior replied, “I mean, they wouldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> ridiculous considering what we just did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I also wanna make sure my house is still in one piece,” Ricky chuckled as they emerged from the office, the party still in full gear as the music bumped loudly throughout the house.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were met with a few stares, their cheeks still flushed and hair noticeably messier, but EJ ignored them, pulling Ricky in by the waist, “Oh look at that, the house hasn’t been set on fire yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I guess a party wasn’t the </span>
  <em>
    <span>worst</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing that could’ve happened tonight,” Ricky resolved, smiling as EJ bent down to kiss him, hand finding the younger boy’s cheek until they noticed the music had suddenly stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Separating, Ricky turned in horror as he saw his parents in full superhero gear, standing in the foyer and staring him down with matching disdain. EJ and him jumped apart as every person at the party waited in fear, the awkward silence in the house deafening.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, don’t stop on our account,” his father says sarcastically, hands on his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother piped up disappointed, “Your father and I tell you we’re flying into space for the weekend and you throw a </span>
  <em>
    <span>party</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All Ricky can do is stand there and take it as his father shakes his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unbelievable,” he mutters before bellowing, “When I reach the count of three I want everyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>OUT. OF. THIS. HOUSE!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man didn’t even need to start counting before the students in the house scrambled to the front door screaming; people ran, flew, even </span>
  <em>
    <span>phased through the wall</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get out as quickly as possible. The original group of friends that had come over to his house for a movie night waved apologetically as they hurried out the door and soon Ricky was left in an empty house with his parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And EJ, who hadn’t moved from his place beside Ricky.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thunderbolt coughed pointedly, making the senior flinch as he realized he should probably leave. Quickly he walked towards the door, sending Ricky an awkward wave before quietly saying, “Um. I’ll text you,” and closing the front door behind him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky cringed, awaiting the impending lecture as his father walked up to him, “Son, I’m only going to ask you this--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dad, I swear, I didn’t plan this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man paused before concluding, “Alright, good enough for me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Not</span>
  </em>
  <span> good enough for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” his mother interjected, rolling her eyes at her soon-to-be ex-husband and stepping closer to Ricky. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span> were you thinking?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m telling you, it was just supposed to be me and a few friends watching movies! I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand,” he pleaded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What has gotten into you? You think just because you suddenly have powers, since you’re suddenly in the hero program that you can behave this way?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?! No, Mom, I--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Throwing parties like this is some high school movie? Drinking when you’re underage? Parading around, making out with this </span>
  <em>
    <span>boy</span>
  </em>
  <span> in front of everyone?! I didn’t even know you </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked </span>
  </em>
  <span>boys and now you’re just going around kissing them like it’s normal? Do you realize how embarrassing this is for me and your father? We can lift entire buildings, control the weather. How would everyone feel knowing that we can’t even control our own son?!” she screamed at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky barely registered the tears streaming down his face, his father trying to cut in, “Lynne, don’t say things like that--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! I will not sit around and watch you embarrass us by throwing immature parties and kissing random people, especially not random </span>
  <em>
    <span>boys</span>
  </em>
  <span>! You can’t suddenly turn gay just because you have powers, Ricky!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not even gay, I’m bisexual!” he finally burst, unable to control the way his voice cracked as he sobbed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, even better,” she scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re something that doesn’t even exist.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“FUCK YOU!” Ricky screamed, no longer able to take the words his mother was spitting at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ran up the stairs to his room as quickly as he could, slamming the door loudly. He didn’t even bother trying to make it to his bed before he sunk to the ground, the tears flowing as he hiccuped, barely able to breathe as he wrapped his arms around his legs and buried his face in the sleeve of his hoodie. Distantly he heard his parents yelling at each other from downstairs, the muffled screaming barely audible through his bedroom door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How the hell could you say that to him, Lynne! He’s our son, whether he’s bisexual or not! I cannot believe </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> what you’re angry about!” he heard his father bellow incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, don’t act like you weren’t just as shocked as I was to see him making out with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boy</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His dad laughed cruelly, “No um, I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>more shocked that he threw a party! You know, like a </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> parent would be!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cannot believe you’re condoning his behavior! You should be </span>
  <em>
    <span>embarrassed</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” she seethed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am embarrassed,” the man gritted out. “Embarrassed that I married a homophobe.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The couple continued arguing but Ricky tuned them out as best he could, his incessant hiccups dying down and turning into silent sobs as he sat back against his door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tears didn’t stop flowing for a long time.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>poor ricky :( but at least he got sum d 😔</p><p>but anyway listen to the playlist inspired by this fic ✨<br/>https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3eyczMk03IJUi3w8ymTnCa?si=eYySqlO6RPGaZO5Nyqkxkg</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. im trying to find my way back</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>here's a good and fun chapter to soften the blow from the last one &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ricky was blessed with an empty house when the week started, his parents being needed in another country for a mission. Which was great, considering he was planning to ignore his mother for the rest of his life, probably.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just couldn’t wrap his head around what she had said to him the night of the party. How could the person that supported him most in the world, the person who was always there to lift him up when he was down, someone who wasn’t just a mother to him but his </span>
  <em>
    <span>best friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> say something like that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky loved his mother. He considered himself closer to his mom than his dad on most days. When he was sad she would always take him to Dairy Queen and order the Wonder Woman Cookie Collision Blizzard because she knew it was his favorite. When he was tired she would cuddle up next to him on the couch in the living room and fall asleep with him while watching </span>
  <em>
    <span>La La Land</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the thirtieth time. When he was bored she would teleport them to the beach and splash salty water in his face, laughing as he retaliated with an even bigger splash.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How would everyone feel knowing that we can’t even control our own son?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re something that doesn’t even exist.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You should be embarrassed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The words she spat at him ran through his mind constantly for the next few days, distracting him in his classes, taking his attention away when his friends were busy joking around him. It shouldn’t have been possible for someone who claimed to love him as much as she did to say such vile words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky just couldn’t believe her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t realize he had stabbed six peas onto his fork until he felt someone nudge his elbow softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” EJ said gently, looking at him with concern in his eyes. “You’re murdering your peas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky coughed, straightening up and failing to crack a joke, “I guess I just really hate peas.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did the peas ever do to you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He huffed before stabbing another pea onto his fork aggressively, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Peas </span>
  </em>
  <span>call me an embarrassment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Peas</span>
  </em>
  <span> say I’m immature and uncontrollable. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Peas </span>
  </em>
  <span>think that my ‘behavior’ shouldn’t be condoned! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Peas </span>
  </em>
  <span>are homophobic assholes that are divorcing my dad, abandoning our family and acting like having a son that likes girls </span>
  <em>
    <span>and boys</span>
  </em>
  <span> is the worst thing in the world</span>
  <span>!</span>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slammed the plastic fork onto his tray one last time and reeled back in shock as the whole lunch tray burst into flames, the plastic melting and food burning before his eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky sighed in defeat as his friends looked at him in a mixture of fear and sympathy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your...</span>
  <em>
    <span>pea</span>
  </em>
  <span> really said all that to you?” Carlos spoke up softly from his place across the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded, dejected, before his friends chimed in from around the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, Ricky,” Nini comforted, placing a hand on top of his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s so messed up, dude,” Big Red lamented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your pea fucking sucks,” Kourtney declared bluntly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gina piped up from next to her, agreeing, “Yeah, tell your pea to fuck off!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s 2020, peas </span>
  <em>
    <span>should not</span>
  </em>
  <span> be homophobic anymore,” Ashlyn continued, shaking her head in disappointment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Especially if that pea is someone who claims to love you and wants the best for you!” Seb emphasized.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Carlos nodded, “Maybe it’s a good thing that your peas are separating. One of them seems rotten, anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t need a rotten pea like that in your family,” EJ concluded, wrapping an arm around Ricky’s shoulders and holding him close as everyone around them voiced their agreements. “Besides, you have all of us and we’re not peas. We’re, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>loose corn</span>
  </em>
  <span> or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everyone at the table was silent until Ricky snorted, not able to hold it in any longer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Loose corn?!?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Seriously?” Gina judged, looking at the senior unimpressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d say we’re more of a mixed vegetable type deal,” Big Red suggested seriously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kourtney shook her head as she tut, “Uh uh, those vegetables better have some seasoning, chile!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, so like a stir fry!” Seb exclaimed as he clapped his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“With fried rice! Oh my God that would be so good,” Nini salivated, as everyone nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The group continued naming foods that they were comparable to, laughing at every suggestion and getting into heated discussions. Ricky just leaned further into EJ’s shoulder as he watched him and Gina get into an argument about the popularity of corn.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t think about his pea for the rest of the day.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>no offense but i really hate peas and think they taste horrible can u tell from this chapter LMAO</p><p>also should i start using tumblr again? i havent in a while but i wanna connect with some people in this fandom a lil more and i feel like people on ao3 mostly use tumblr</p><p>(also this chapter probably seems extremely unimportant and just for funzies but...if you look closely...there's a very big hint in it👁👄👁...but what do i know im just a writer)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. by the second losing focus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>warning: consensual underage steamy times ahead 😳</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i just realized i have not once thanked my beta who has been reading &amp; editing not only this story but my intentions series</p><p>but that person is also <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/mischief_managed/pseuds/mischief_managed">my sister</a> LOL. so like. i thank her everyday irl.</p><p>but she deserves sum credit so here. check her out shes cool ig.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Days passed and the tension in his house only grew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother constantly tried to start meaningless conversations with him; making comments about the weather, asking him if he needed help with his homework, wondering what he wanted for breakfast.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But every time she would try, Ricky would ignore her, leaving the room as soon as she started talking and not looking back. He felt guilty about it the first few times, but stopped after he heard his parents getting into another argument, listening intently from his room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why can’t you just go up there and apologize to him instead of trying to pretend like everything is normal?!” his father urged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Apologize for what?!? My beliefs? My morals? Just so he can feel good about doing...</span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>boy?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she had yelled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slammed his door at that and rolled his eyes as he placed his headphones in his ear and continued to work on his homework.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Midterms at Sky High were swiftly approaching and Ricky needed all the peace and quiet he could get in order to study. If he knew being in the Hero program meant retaining this much information, he probably would’ve just stuck to being a sidekick.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With midterms however came the highly anticipated Homecoming dance that Sky High held every year. Ricky never really got excited over it, always just going in a big group with his friends and smoking pot in the bathroom to make things more bearable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But this year was different. Because he actually had someone to </span>
  <em>
    <span>go</span>
  </em>
  <span> with. As in like: a date. Which made the thought of homecoming infinitely more exciting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except that EJ hadn’t actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked </span>
  </em>
  <span>him to go. They had all planned to meet up before to get wasted and then head to the dance together as a big group, which included him and EJ. And it should’ve been </span>
  <em>
    <span>implied</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he would be going with EJ, right? Since they were, you know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Except that Ricky still didn’t really know what they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Yeah, they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Like, almost all the time. Yeah, they made out and kissed and hooked up a lot. Yeah, they also agreed that they both liked each other and did shit that couples are supposed to do. But they also still haven’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>defined</span>
  </em>
  <span> what they were. Like EJ said: no labels.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And initially of course, that didn’t really bother Ricky. He was a go-with-the-flow type of guy most of the time, despite his daily nervous breakdowns. But it had been a few weeks now (a lot longer than he had expected, to be honest) and he and EJ had just kept...</span>
  <em>
    <span>doing more</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Going further not just physically, but also emotionally. They began sharing parts of each other that were rarely ever spoken out loud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky knew that EJ was lactose intolerant but constantly drank milkshakes anyway, despite the pain his stomach went through afterwards. EJ made fun of him for drinking chamomile tea before his big tests to calm his nerves. Ricky knew that the other boy would form ice crystals in his hand when he was nervous, throwing them around his fingers to keep himself from fidgeting. And EJ always complained about the random curls sticking out from his hair, opting to run his fingers through it since he knew Ricky didn’t care enough to fix them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So you’d think with all that fondness and intimacy, all those things that would </span>
  <em>
    <span>practically</span>
  </em>
  <span> constitute them being in a relationship, that EJ would have asked him to go to homecoming already.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was Thursday now and the dance was </span>
  <em>
    <span>tomorrow night</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Why hadn’t EJ asked him? Like, yeah, he could’ve asked EJ himself but Ricky had way too much pride for that and he figured EJ liked big gestures like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky huffed as he finished writing the last sentence on his assignment, checking the time on his phone. Humming, he took the headphones out of his ears to be met with silence from his house. He didn’t realize how late it was and his parents had probably got tired of arguing and headed to bed already.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He closed his notebooks and packed up his stuff back into his bag when he thought he heard a tapping on his window. He paused, listening intently before continuing to zip up his backpack when he didn’t hear the tapping again. Getting up from his bed, Ricky moved to place his backpack next to his wall when he heard the tapping again, this time slightly louder.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Arming himself with a handful of flames, Ricky walked carefully to his window, taking one slow step after another. Cautiously, he pulled back the curtain that was covering the glass and almost jumped out of his skin when he saw:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“EJ?!” he whisper-screamed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior waved at him enthusiastically, motioning for him to open the window. Ricky extinguished his flame before lifting the glass and becoming face to face with the senior.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck are you doing here?!” he asked quietly. “And how did you even get up here? My room is on the second floor!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ smiled bashfully, “I attached icicles to the side of your house and used them to climb up. Speaking of which, they’re starting to melt and I’m not in the mood to fall to my death, so if you could let me in that would be awesome.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hurriedly, Ricky took EJ’s hands and supported the senior as he stepped over the threshold, almost tripping over Ricky’s backpack in the process and causing the notebooks inside to crash all over the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky shushed him as they froze in place, “Could you be any louder?? My parents are sleeping!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oops.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes Ricky shut the window and moved to the middle of the room, shifting his feet as he turned towards the other boy, “Sooo, what possessed you to climb the side of my house at 11 pm on a Thursday night, exactly?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? I’m not allowed to miss you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky just raised his eyebrows, too tired to play games.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ sighed before resigning, “Look, my parents haven’t been home for the past few nights and I just really didn’t feel like sleeping in an empty house again, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky softened, “You could’ve just texted me, ya know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But isn’t this so much more exciting?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The junior chuckled, shaking his head fondly while EJ toed off his sneakers and made himself comfortable on Ricky’s bed. EJ pretended to scroll through his phone, sneaking glances at Ricky as the younger boy turned around to change into his pajamas, a loose t-shirt and grey sweatpants that did nothing to hide what he was packing. He quickly snapped his head back down to his phone when Ricky turned around and sat on his bed, stretching his legs out and resting his feet on EJ’s lap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, let’s cuddle,” he said with a yawn, tapping the senior’s abs with his foot as the older boy rested a hand on his ankles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What, we’re sleeping already? Don’t you wanna have some</span>
  <em>
    <span> fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” EJ hinted as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“EJ, my parents are sleeping </span>
  <em>
    <span>next door</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The walls are not thick in this house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior made puppy dog eyes at him, giving Ricky a pout that he knew the younger boy couldn’t resist, “Pleaseeee. I came all this way to see you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky stood his ground for about ten seconds until he gave up with a groan, “I hate you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ cackled quietly before tightening his grip on Ricky’s ankles and </span>
  <em>
    <span>pulling</span>
  </em>
  <span> him so that he was practically sitting in EJ’s lap, letting out a small yelp and grabbing onto the other boy’s shoulders as he was met face to face with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky smacked him on the shoulder in retaliation as he warned, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> fucking do that! And if we’re going to do anything we have to be quiet, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me that when </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> the one who was so loud that Miss Jenn almost caught us under the bleachers,” EJ whispered, getting a hand on the back of his neck and stroking the line of his jaw with his thumb.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought I told you never to mention that again,” Ricky retorted, but the effect was lost when EJ’s touch made him shiver.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too late.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ grabbed Ricky’s face and pulled him in for a deep kiss, cutting off any snarky comment that was on his tongue and replacing it with his own. They made out slowly, not in any of the usual rush they were in when they hooked up as EJ stroked the junior’s cheek with his thumb and Ricky ran his hands through the senior’s soft hair.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They’d kissed countless times before but something about the way they were kissing right now was...</span>
  <em>
    <span>different</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Ricky couldn’t quite place his finger on it but he wasn’t quite opposed to it; he liked how soft EJ was being with him, how gently he cradled his face in his hands as his tongue explored Ricky’s mouth. It felt...</span>
  <em>
    <span>deeper</span>
  </em>
  <span>, more meaningful than any other kiss they had shared so far.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ placed a hand on Ricky’s shoulder, pushing lightly and swinging a leg over his hips. He crawled forward as Ricky moved backwards on the bed, holding onto EJ’s neck as they moved in sync before the senior pushed him down by the shoulder and let his head hit the pillow below him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older boy was now fully hovering over him, bracing himself on his forearms as they continued kissing. Every swipe of their tongues felt like honey dripping from a spoon: sweet, slow, and sensual. Ricky didn’t know the simple act of kissing someone could feel like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but he was sure glad EJ helped him discover it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He moved his hands from the other boy’s neck to his arms, feeling the hard line of his biceps before traveling to the sharp planes of his back and splaying his fingers as he absorbed the warmth radiating from him. Slowly, Ricky lifted the edges of EJ’s t-shirt, exposing the tan skin beneath and pulling up impatiently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, EJ got the hint, separating from Ricky’s mouth for the first time that night to grab the edges of the shirt and pull it over his head, throwing it somewhere across the room before leaning back down to continue his attack on Ricky’s lips. The younger boy sighed in contentment as he ran his hands over the taut muscle of EJ’s abs, defined from years of water polo and sparring.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ detached his lips from Ricky’s, grabbing the younger boy’s own shirt and quickly pulling it over his head, Ricky lifting his arms to help. Sitting up, they resumed kissing, their hands going wild as they explored every line of muscle beneath soft skin, every goosebump that arose, every pulse of their veins. The older boy pushed down on Ricky’s shoulder once again, bringing him back down to the bed before Ricky brought a hand to cup the side of EJ’s face to separate them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their noses brushed and breath mingled as Ricky whispered, his heart beating out of his chest, </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A--Are we gonna have sex?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I--Do you want to?” EJ replied breathlessly, leaning away just slightly to look Ricky in the eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Yeah I do,” the younger boy confirmed, bringing EJ down to catch him a quick kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck. Okay, fuck.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hurriedly, EJ and Ricky both took a few seconds to shimmy out of their pants, throwing them over the edge of the bed. EJ reached back down, however, pulling something out of his back pocket while Ricky stretched to grab a small packet from his bedside drawer. When they faced each other once more, they both held shiny condom packets between their fingers, looking at each other incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you fucking plan this??” Ricky accused.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I may have fantasized about it on the way here but I didn’t actually think it would happen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ just smiled bashfully as he slipped his fingers under the waistband of Ricky’s boxers, looking at the younger boy for approval. Ricky nodded, lifting his hips up as the older boy took his boxers off in one swift motion, throwing them across the room. When EJ turned back to face him he couldn’t help but take a few seconds to admire the boy below him, running his hands across the pale skin of Ricky’s stomach; skimming his fingers down the sharp bones protruding from his hips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes EJ couldn’t believe how lucky he was that the universe allowed him to have something so good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He bent down, placing a gentle kiss on the soft skin of Ricky’s stomach before the younger boy handed him a small bottle of lube. EJ coated his fingers quickly, not wasting any time as he continued sucking a love bite into Ricky’s skin and pushing his fingers into the tight ring of muscle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky gasped, his hands finding EJ’s light brown hair for purchase as the older boy stretched him out thoroughly, scissoring and curling his fingers and making Ricky’s eyes roll into the back of his head as he willed himself to stay quiet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the senior deemed him stretched enough, he removed his fingers, sitting up on his knees and quickly removing his own underwear. Ricky stared at the ceiling, trying to regain his breathing and relax as he heard the sound of the foil wrapper being ripped open. He was broken out of his trance as EJ leaned above him, his arms bracketing his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior looked at him with all the care in the world as he whispered softly, “Still wanna do this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky couldn’t help himself when he leaned up to press a gentle kiss onto EJ’s lips before he replied, “Yes. Please.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ didn’t need to be told twice as he guided himself to Ricky’s hole, slowly filling him until his hips were flushed with the younger boy’s. The silence around them was deafening, the only sound in the room being that of their mingled breaths as Ricky adjusted to being full and EJ remained still with his eyes closed, forcing himself not to move until Ricky told him to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky reached up to place a hand on EJ’s cheek, making the older boy’s eyes shoot open as he whispered, “Move.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no hesitation when EJ pulled back slowly before snapping his hips forward, making Ricky yelp softly. He continued pumping in and out of the younger boy’s hole as Ricky wrapped his arms around EJ’s neck, biting into his shoulder to stifle his moans.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ brought his hands to the back of Ricky’s knees, lifting the younger boy’s legs to wrap them around his waist as his pace became faster and faster. Ricky’s fingers dug into EJ’s back, clawing at the tan skin of his shoulder blades as the older boy began to glisten in sweat. He almost whined when EJ sat up to detach himself from Ricky’s arms until the senior lifted one of his legs and rested it on his shoulder. EJ tried to suppress his groan as one hand held Ricky’s ankle while the other gripped his hip tightly, their new position ensuring that EJ was hitting Ricky’s sweet spot with every thrust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger boy was beginning to regret telling EJ that they needed to be quiet, considering with every movement of the senior’s hips, it was getting harder and harder to suppress the noises that were threatening to spill past his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky began to feel the heat engulf his body, the familiar tug growing in his stomach. Sensing that he was close, EJ reached down to take Ricky’s cock in his hand, pumping quickly and in time with the brutal pace he was setting with his hips. Soon after, Ricky’s back arched off the bed, muscles tense as his orgasm hit him and he spurted over his abdomen. His chest rose and fell wildly as his heart beat out of his chest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky continued to move his hips to meet EJ’s, bringing the senior’s face to his and whispering sweet nothings against his lips as he helped bring him to his own orgasm. EJ caught his lips in a kiss to hide his moans as he wrapped both of Ricky’s legs around his waist, slamming into the younger boy’s hole as his climax creeped up his spine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With one final thrust, the senior spilled into the condom, eyes closed in pure bliss as Ricky stroked his hair with nimble fingers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Both boys laid in the soft white sheets of Ricky’s bed, catching their breaths until Ricky felt something wet hitting his lashes and cheekbones.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Fluttering his eyes open, Ricky gasped, seeing a million tiny snowflakes falling, covering every inch of his room and into his eyes. These snowflakes were different from the ones that fell during their previous escapade in his dad’s office, Ricky realized. While the ones that EJ created during the party were silver and icy; almost glass-like, the one’s falling around Ricky’s room were much bigger.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the type of snow that got you a day off from school. The powdery, fluffy snow that you could jump into and feel like you were falling through a cloud. The type of snow that a child would wish to wake up to on Christmas morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“EJ,” Ricky whispered, nudging the shoulder of the boy above him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm?” he mumbled, still stuck in his post-coital bliss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s snowing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Open your eyes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky smiled as EJ finally broke free of his trance, looking around the room with wide eyes as he took in the snow falling around them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And here I thought I was good at controlling my powers…” he muttered, elbows resting on either side of Ricky’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The younger boy couldn’t help the soft laughter that escaped from his mouth as he looked up at the boy above him. The glittering snowflakes began to stick to EJ’s soft hair and he stuck his tongue out, catching the flakes on his tongue like a child. Ricky looked at him in wonder; to think that just a few weeks ago they were trying to kill each other in the cafeteria and now they were here: naked in the same bed, shimmering snowflakes falling around them, and their stomachs hurting from how hard they were laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the tiny blizzard finally began to dissipate, EJ moved next to him on the bed, all relaxed muscles and tired bones. The boys looked at each other with content smiles before EJ spoke, wrapping his arms around the younger boy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Remember what you said to me that day we fought in the cafeteria?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said many things to you that day, EJ.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You said something like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Blah, blah, blah you overuse your powers to compensate for your small dick.’</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, and?” Ricky huffed, impatient for him to get to the point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ wrapped his arms tighter around Ricky as he whispered, cocky as ever, “Mmm, bet you don’t think I’m compensating for anything now, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You are </span>
  <em>
    <span>so,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Ricky complained, pushing away the arms that were engulfing him, “fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>annoying</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t know how I even let you near me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t act like you don’t love it,” EJ chuckled, leaning up on his elbow to look down at RIcky with a fond smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach that flew around wildly as he looked into his icy blue-green eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They looked at each other, comfortable silence around them until EJ spoke up again. “Hey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You wanna go to homecoming with me tomorrow night?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky sighed, rolling his eyes, “God, I thought you’d never ask.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ laughed, leaning down to place a kiss onto Ricky’s lips before tiptoeing out of the bed and putting his boxers on as Ricky began to feel his exhaustion creep up on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s your bathroom? We should probably clean up,” the senior suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky yawned, his eyes beginning to droop as he pointed lazily at his door, “It’s just down the hall. But you better be quiet. My parents are still sleeping.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, sleepyhead. I’ll bring back something to wipe you up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Love you,” the junior mumbled as his body finally submitted to his tiredness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ stopped in his tracks as he stood in the doorway of Ricky’s bedroom, looking at the sleeping boy with stars in his eyes. He hid his smile despite the younger boy already being asleep as he muttered back, “Love you, too,” and closed the door behind him as he went to the bathroom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky slept peacefully, dreaming of twinkling white snowflakes and sea foam green eyes.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>wow everything is fine and dandy &lt;3</p><p>for now</p><p>but anyway</p><p>sorry if this seems like a shameless smut/filler chapter but i assure you...it is not 😌 im very excited to post these next few chapters because this is where the real action starts &gt;:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. a lonely hero, trying to fight my battles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>i'd like to apologize in advance ❤️</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>there are some small but very important details in this chapter, i'll give you a few hints on what to look out for:</p>
<p>a towel</p>
<p>the bus stop</p>
<p>a supportive friend</p>
<p>...do what you want with that information...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ricky woke up alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked awake, mind cloudy as the memories of last night came back to the forefront of his brain. Goosebumps formed on his skin, the cold air of his room hitting his still naked form, the only thing covering him being his thin white sheets.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ was there last night. EJ and him </span>
  <em>
    <span>had sex for the first time</span>
  </em>
  <span> last night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But as Ricky sat up and looked around, it was almost as if it never happened at all; none of EJ’s clothes scattered the room from when they had thrown them off last night, the sneakers that he had toed off beside the bed were nowhere to be found. Not even a note left on Ricky’s bedside table.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gulped, willing the uneasiness of the situation down as a lump formed in his throat. He grabbed his phone from the nightstand to check for any texts from the older boy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Last night couldn’t have been that bad for EJ, could it? Ricky, for one, thought it had gone </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he had assumed it was just as good for the other boy considering the blizzard that the hydrokinetic had conjured up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to ease his anxiety as he got ready for school, telling himself over and over again that everything was fine. Ricky was so distracted, however, that he almost tripped over a towel in the hallway as he made his way downstairs, rushing so he wouldn’t miss the bus. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was just overthinking and EJ was pretty forgetful, right? He probably just forgot to text Ricky, or was rushing because he had to get back home and get his own belongings ready for school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky tried his best to suppress the overbearing thoughts on the bus ride to Sky High, but it was difficult when Nini wasn’t at their usual bus stop and he was forced to sit alone in the back of the bus. He pulled out his phone, hoping it would distract from the angst building up in his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To my favorite ex </span>
  <span>❤️</span>
  <span>: </span>
  <em>
    <span>r u ok? i dont think ive ever seen you miss the bus before nee-nah </span>
  </em>
  <span>😅</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To red rubber man </span>
  <span>🤬: </span>
  <em>
    <span>bruh have you heard from nini?? or ej for that matter</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, no one replied and Ricky was forced to pocket his phone as the bus pulled into the front of Sky High, letting out a loud sigh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At his locker, Ricky went through the usual routine of getting ready for his first class but he stood with his shoulders slumped, already in a bad mood despite the early hour. For some reason it just felt like everything about today was going to suck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was lifted out of his funk however, when he noticed EJ across the hallway, getting books out of his own locker. Ricky’s heart seized at the sight of the older, happy to see him despite the fact that he didn’t tell Ricky he was going before he left in the morning. With a bounce in his step, Ricky walked over to the senior, a shy smile playing his lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” he greeted EJ cheerfully, making the older boy jump.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The senior looked at him wearily before responding, “Hi.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’d you go this morning? You could’ve left me a text or, like, a note or something,” Ricky wondered, holding his books close to his chest and leaning against the lockers next to EJ.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh. Yeah, sorry. Probably should’ve said something…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s eyebrows knitted together, noticing that EJ wasn’t looking him in the eyes and had been standing staring at his locker for the few minutes they had been talking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He placed a hand on the senior’s forearm, getting his attention as Ricky looked at him with concern, “Hey...Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ stared blankly at him, eyes devoid of any emotion before it seemed a switch was flipped in his brain and he scoffed, his famous cocky smirk forming on his lips. “No, actually,” he chuckled, but the sound sent a chilling shiver down Ricky’s spine, “You’ve done everything I thought you would.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky slowly pulled away from where he was touching EJ, hesitating before he asked, “What...What do you mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The smirk on EJ’s face turned cruel as he turned toward the younger boy, “C’mon, </span>
  <em>
    <span>babe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you couldn’t have possibly thought any of this was real.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s heart dropped out of his chest, his smile faltering. “What are you talking about, EJ…” he said quietly, his voice beginning to tremble in his throat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen,” EJ began to explain, a regretful look painting his face, but with the tone of voice he was using, Ricky knew the senior didn’t feel any guilt about what he was saying. “This was fun, alright? I mean you’re an </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> kisser and you’re super hot; honestly, surprised more people haven’t tried to hook up with you in the past,” the senior laughed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky didn’t crack a smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And...I mean last night was great. You’re a great </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, like, you were hella tight. It was hot. But you kinda…said you, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> me and, uh, no way! I like, don’t do all that feelings shit and, uh, seems like </span>
  <em>
    <span>somebody</span>
  </em>
  <span> caught feelings.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky fought back the tears that were threatening to spill down his cheeks, his chest rising and falling rapidly; he didn’t know whether to be sad or angry at what EJ was saying to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you really trying to tell me that I mean nothing to you? That the past </span>
  <em>
    <span>weeks</span>
  </em>
  <span> have meant nothing?” he seethed, bottom lip trembling.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A condescending pout formed on EJ’s face as he feigned sympathy towards Ricky, “Aww, c’mon don’t cry! We both knew this was gonna happen eventually. I mean forreal, you’re the same as any other person in this school that wants me. We hook up, it’s all fine and dandy, and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>bam</span>
  </em>
  <span> you get all clingy and attached. You should’ve known that I could never love you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And it was right there, in the middle of the dreary grey hallway of Sky High on a Friday morning, that Ricky Bowen had his heart broken for the first time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wrapped his arms tighter around himself, goosebumps forming on his skin as all the warmth left his body and he swallowed past the lump in his throat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What about...what about homecoming?” he asked quietly, no longer able to look at the dead, icy glare of EJ’s eyes, the beautiful turquoise that Ricky had grown to love now replaced with a steely grey-blue. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ cringed, “Uhh yeah, about that. So I don’t know if you know Sabrina Sullivan? She’s like, the </span>
  <em>
    <span>hottest</span>
  </em>
  <span> girl in the senior class and her date dipped last minute so she asked me a few minutes ago if I could go with her and I’m not gonna pass up an opportunity to fuck around with a girl who’s tits look like </span>
  <em>
    <span>her’s</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so. Yeah, sorry I won’t be going with you anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky wasn’t even sad anymore. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t even shocked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He just felt numb.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But like, you can still go with your little group of...</span>
  <em>
    <span>sidekick</span>
  </em>
  <span>s,” EJ concluded, closing his locker and holding his books at his side. “Anyway, don’t feel too bad. You’ll find someone...someday.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky just stood there, barely able to breathe as he kept his eyes glued to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna head to Miss Jenn’s class now but...don’t wait up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, EJ turned on his heel, walking away with not a spare glance at Ricky, leaving the junior frozen in his place. The hallway was filled with chattering students but all Ricky could hear were EJ’s words repeating themselves over and over again in his brain. He felt like he was going to throw up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, he spotted Big Red arriving at his locker and took quick strides toward his friend, needing the comforting words that the ginger always knew how to give when needed most.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Red! Thank God you’re here. You’ll never believe what just happ--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry Rick, I gotta be somewhere,” the red head rushed out apologetically, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m already late to this meeting and it’s pretty important. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boy jogged down the hall without waiting for a reply, leaving Ricky in the same state of anxiety as before, if not more so. Ricky just stood there defeated, until a familiar pair of combat boots walked up to him and he looked up, a grateful smile on his face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nini! You’re here!” he exclaimed quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, of course! Was up late studying and slept through my alarm,” she shrugged, her body tense. “What’s wrong? You look like someone just broke your heart.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky sighed before muttering, “Well, yeah. Someone just did…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh god, did EJ finally break up with you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stopped, his eyebrows knitting together. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finally?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nini scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Please, Ricky. We all knew it was going to happen. You honestly should’ve seen it coming.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe this…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What? You thought he could genuinely want to be in a relationship with someone like </span>
  <em>
    <span>you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck do you mean, ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>someone like me</span>
  </em>
  <span>’?” he seethed, jaw tight and tears beginning to reform in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky. You’ve been a </span>
  <em>
    <span>sidekick</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the past three years. You’ve been powerless for your whole life up until just a few weeks ago. He only got with you because you got powers. And now he’s bored. It’s obvious.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How can you say all that when you know how I feel about EJ?! When you know how I feel about being powerless all those years!” he yelled, attracting a few stares from people still in the hallway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nini rolled her eyes, groaning, “What? Like how you knew how </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>would feel when you decided to kiss my ex-boyfriend?? I wasn’t surprised about EJ being a skank but </span>
  <em>
    <span>you??!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s jaw dropped in shock, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find the right words before Nini beat him to it, huffing angrily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what? I’m done with this conversation. Have fun wallowing in self-pity over a guy who </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew didn’t give a shit about you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stormed away just as the bell for first period rang, the students that had been flooding the hallway now rushing to get to their classrooms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky had never felt so alone in his life and it wasn’t because he was the only person standing in the empty hallway.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i forgot to mention this in previous chapters but the scepter in the bowen's secret lair is akin to loki's secpter in the mcu...once again, do with that information what you will...</p>
<p>its honestly so funny reading everyones theories lmao ily all and im so happy im becoming friends with more of u! mwah</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. the moonlight gets exposure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>uh oh stinky</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>warning: supportive friends ahead</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ricky skipped Miss Jenn’s class, not wanting to see EJ’s face and opting instead to hide in the bathroom, sit on a toilet, and cry.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t bother paying attention in any of his other classes, mind too numb from everything that happened in the morning. It was easier to dissociate than to take notes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He just didn’t understand how one could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>unlucky in life. Of course he knew that EJ was dick, but he didn’t think he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> much of a dick. It just didn’t make sense.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just last night the two of them were exchanging sweet nothings in the darkness of Ricky’s bedroom, glittering snowflakes fluttering around them as they looked at each other with crinkled eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How can someone switch up that quickly?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And don’t get him started on Nini.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sweetest girl in the world, the most positive light in his life, his best fucking friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How could she say all that shit to him? How could she bring up his biggest insecurities and use them against him like that? Has she been hiding her true feelings about their friendship this whole time? She couldn’t have. It just didn’t add up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Meanwhile, there continued to be radio silence from Big Red and Ricky was beginning to suspect that the other boy was ignoring him. But why? He couldn’t recall doing anything that would potentially hurt the other boy’s feelings recently, so why didn’t he want to talk to Ricky?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was only noon and Ricky had already felt sad, angry, and heartbroken today, but most of all-- he was confused.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Conveniently, the three people he didn’t want to see didn’t show up for lunch, leaving Ricky to rest his face on his hand as he pushed his peas around the lunch tray, not bothering to even pretend like he was hungry.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone noticed his dreary demeanor, the air around the group tense as they ate in silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Carlos coughed awkwardly, trying to break the tension, “Ricky, do you know where--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he replied instantly. “I don’t know where any of them are.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Well, are you okay? You seem a bit down today.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky chuckled, but there was no warmth to it. “Yeah, I am pretty down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Ashlyn wondered, reaching out a hand to comfort him when he pulled himself away quickly, not daring to look up from his peas.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should ask your cousin that question...” he mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>From across the table Gina slammed her hands down on the table, rising from her seat, “I knew it! I fucking knew that asshole was gonna break you heart! God, I’m gonna kill him…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He dropped his fork, sighing as his shoulders slumped. “So it’s true? Everyone knew it was going to happen eventually but me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gina stopped her ranting, freezing as she saw how sad Ricky really was. She climbed over the table, not giving a fuck about any of the lunch trays that were in the way and sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, Ricky. You know that’s not what I meant.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kourtney spoke up from where she was, her voice soft as she comforted, “I think she just means that we were all...skeptical of him. We didn’t know if we could really trust him with your heart.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I honestly thought that the past few weeks showed he really cared about you but...I guess I was wrong,” Seb lamented, frowning. “Yeah, I was a bit skeptical of him at first but I thought you guys worked well together. I’m surprised that he did this, I’m not gonna lie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m surprised too…” Ashlyn related, her eyebrows knit together in concern. “I mean I don’t expect him to tell me everything but...I mean he was so into you. He liked you for so long. What could have possibly made him change his mind so quickly?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wondered the same thing,” Ricky sighed, leaning his head on Gina’s shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you know what? Fuck him!” Carlos declared. “He doesn’t deserve you anyway and he’s missing out on one of our coolest friends! We’re all gonna go to homecoming tonight and we’re gonna throw it back and forget that EJ Caswell ever existed!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And that’s on periodt” Kourtney agreed, snapping at Carlos as she shook her head in awe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky smiled despite himself but resigned, “That sounds like lots of fun but...I think I’d rather not watch EJ grind with Sabrina Sullivan on the dance floor. I think I just...wanna stay at home and cry on my dad’s shoulder while eating Dairy Queen or something.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s okay, Ricky,” Seb reassured. “You should do anything you need to feel better.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But just know that if you need anything, we’ll be here for you. Only a text in the group chat or a facetime away. Always,” Gina contributed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the group nodded, squeezing him into a group hug. At least he had a few friends that hadn’t switched up on him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky made good on his promise of slumping on the couch and lazily swirling his spoon through a Dairy Queen blizzard, wrapped up in a blanket burrito while he swiped through Instagram stories chronicling the Sky High homecoming festivities.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed, about to click on EJ’s story when he thought better of it and proceeded to throw his phone across the couch, ultimately hitting his father in the process.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Heyyy, what was that about?” the man whined, eating a spoonful of his own blizzard.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky chuckled, “Oops, my bad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His dad was currently the only one home, his mom staying late at the office to “finish up work” but Ricky figured she just didn’t want to see his face. And that was fine; he didn’t want to see her’s either.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, how are you and your...</span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the party?” his father asked slyly, looking at Ricky over his cup.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky would have laughed at how stupid he looked if the man didn’t bring up the reason why he needed to get a blizzard in the first place.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed, nibbling on a piece of cookie dough on his ice cream dejectedly. “Uh...he kind of...broke up with me. Like. Today, actually.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Bowen cringed, “Sorry for bringing it up, kiddo. Probably should’ve figured something bad had happened today when you said you wanted to go to Dairy Queen…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I’m fine.” He said, bringing another spoonful of ice cream to his mouth before he paused, reconsidering. “Well. Actually, I’m not fine at all. But, you don’t have to worry about me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t dismiss your feelings, kid. You know if you need anything that I’m here for ya. I’ll always support you no matter what.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His father smiled at him, getting up from the couch to throw away his cup as he finished and heading down the hallway without another word.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky sometimes forgot how great his dad was. It was nice to know that he had at least one parent on his side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He turned on the TV, channel surfing before he got bored and left the news on just for some background noise. He resisted the urge to reach for his phone and instead shifted his focus on savoring his ice cream, which was unfortunately getting closer and closer to reaching the bottom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky was extremely concentrated on picking up a small ball of fudge on his spoon that he didn’t notice that his father had come back into the living room. He almost jumped out of his skin when he turned around and saw his dad standing in the doorway, looking at him with concern in his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dad? Is everything okay?” he asked, looking around awkwardly as he was suddenly nervous.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky...do you know if anyone went into my office during your party?” he asked slowly, not breaking eye contact with his son.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Ricky’s heart started beating faster in his chest and he gulped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. Does he know I had sex in there?</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought to himself frantically before shaking his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not that I know of, no.” He responded quickly, trying his best to keep a poker face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright…” he said easily, crossing his arms over his chest before continuing. “Did </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> go into my office during your party?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. Shit. Shit.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um. Well. Yes. Yeah, I did.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man shook his head while trying to keep his voice level. “And did you happen to take anyone in there </span>
  <em>
    <span>with</span>
  </em>
  <span> you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. I didn’t leave, like, a condom in there, did I? Wait. We didn’t even have actual sex. Oh shit, did the snow seep into his papers and ruin everything? Fuck, how could he have found out??</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky?” the man prodded, eyebrows raised and waiting for an answer.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And unfortunately, Ricky was a horrible liar. So he couldn’t keep a straight face for long as his father stared him down. He finally broke, bursting out, “Okay, yes! I brought EJ into the office. I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man held the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, breathing in and out slowly to calm himself down. “Did you bring him into the lair, Ricky? The </span>
  <em>
    <span>secret</span>
  </em>
  <span> lair?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky gulped. There was no getting out of this situation. “...Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, Ricky. I know you already had a bad day and I really don't want to make you feel worse. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> were you thinking?!?” his father yelled quietly, not wanting to raise his voice at his son.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry! I know it was stupid but we just wanted to get away from all the noise and the chaos of the party! I was so overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do so EJ said we should get some peace and quiet and </span>
  <em>
    <span>I don’t know</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it’s not like we really </span>
  <em>
    <span>planned</span>
  </em>
  <span> for it to happen. I mean, like, yeah, I was </span>
  <em>
    <span>hoping</span>
  </em>
  <span> it would but obviously that’s not an excuse--”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ricky!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the man shouted, silencing the teen’s blabbering. “I have no idea what in God’s green Earth you’re talking about but whatever you’re talking about is not what </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> talking about!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky stopped in his tracks. If he wasn’t getting in trouble for getting it on with EJ in the office, what was he getting in trouble for?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky…” the man began slowly, realizing that his son had no idea what he was talking about. “The staff isn’t in the lair anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shadowglare’s scepter. It’s gone.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>👁👄👁</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. i know, i know, it's mind control</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>~revelations are being made~</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>remember two chapters ago when i gave you those three little hints to look out for? might wanna refer back to that</p><p>also theres a hamilton reference in this. i apologize. tell me nini wouldnt stan hamilton tho.<br/> <br/><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dr1IEC2U4AAAUOI.jpg">click this link for a surprise!</a></p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Friday</p><p>7:05 AM</p><p>The Bus Stop</p><p>On the corner of Stark Street &amp; Morales Drive</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Nini leaned against the crooked metal of the street sign, headphones in as she listened to the Hamilton soundtrack and looked through her Instagram feed while she waited for Ricky to arrive at the bus stop. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> She smiled to herself as she came across a post of EJ’s-- it was a picture of Ricky sitting across from him in the library, looking at the camera unimpressed as he leaned on his hand. The caption read: “even when he’s annoyed at me he looks hot </em> 🔥❤️ <em> ” </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Nini chuckled, double tapping on the post to give it a like.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It was weird to her at first, of course. Why wouldn’t it be? Her ex-boyfriend was dating her...ex-boyfriend. But in hindsight, with how much she knew both of them, she should’ve seen it coming. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> EJ Caswell was an extremely hard person to understand. He didn’t let people in easily and she was one of the few people who was allowed to see the side of him that didn’t usually see the light of day. She was scared of him sometimes; he could be cruel, insensitive, shallow. And sometimes her mind would be clouded by those traits. But she knew why he was like that.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He didn’t have much experience with love. So he boarded himself up, created a facade, hid behind a mask to hide the fact. But above all things, EJ just wanted to be loved. And he wanted someone to love. However, he was horrible at expressing that. He would tease and rile up and make fun of someone that he thought he might love. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> EJ was always extremely nice to her. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That’s how she realized he didn’t love her. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That’s why she should’ve been less surprised to find out who he really loved. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She knew Ricky like she knew her own mind, she knew you could never find someone who’s as trusting or as kind. He was her childhood best friend, her first real love, her favorite person in the world. He had no powers for most his life but she had never met anyone so brave, so courageous, so strong. He had no powers but he would give up everything to help someone who needed to be saved. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> And she thinks Ricky needed to save EJ. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It was only Ricky who was able to tear down EJ’s walls, to see through his facade, to give him back the heat when he was cold. It was only Ricky who was able to take his teasing, the jokes, the pranks and give them right back to him. It was only Ricky who was able to melt EJ’s frozen, icy heart. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> They were perfect for each other. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> And she wanted nothing more than for them to figure that out. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Nini continued scrolling through her feed, the last song on the soundtrack beginning to play. She thought she heard soft footsteps from nearby, but didn’t bother to look, figuring it was Ricky showing up to the bus stop, late as usual. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> She sang along quietly to the song, mumbling the lyrics to herself, “Let me tell you what I wish I’d known when I was young and full of glory: you have no control…” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But she wasn’t able to finish the lyric as she felt the sharp pressure of a metal blade digging into her spine and a red, wisp-like energy flowed into her, taking complete control of her. She stood there frozen, eyes blank as she was powerless to stop whoever was possessing her. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Her eyes glowed a bright red momentarily before diminishing slowly and she turned around, under the control of the force and coming face to face with the wielder of it. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The person snarled, laughing cruelly before grabbing her arm and teleporting them just before a certain person reached the bus stop. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Friday</p><p>7:30 AM</p><p>Big Red’s House</p><p>53 Maximoff Lane</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Big Red was okay with being the “best friend” most of the time. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It usually meant he could just sit on the sidelines observing, minding his business, and staying in his lane. That meant that rather than drowning in drama, he could leisurely dip in the water and kick his feet while sipping a strawberry margarita. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Unfortunately, however, sitting at the side of the pool meant that he needed to save anyone who had their head under the water for too long. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ricky had his head under water a lot. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> The first day before freshman year when Ricky realized he would be placed in the Hero Support Program, Big Red was there to comfort him, wrapping him in a warm embrace and then </em> <b> <em>wrapping him</em> </b> <em> in his elastic arms as they wrestled to the ground in a laughing heap. </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> When Nini and Ricky broke up, Big Red surprised him at his house with his favorite movie and a large order of Thai food. They threw spring rolls at each other as Forrest Gump played in the background. Ricky forgot he was ever sad. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> The night that RIcky’s parents dropped the bomb that they were divorcing, Big Red was the first person Ricky told, calling him as he tried to hide the fact that he was crying. The ginger boy didn’t care that it was almost midnight on a school night, he let Ricky rant to him until two in the morning. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It bothered him very rarely that Ricky needed help a lot. Besides, he was Hero Support, wasn’t he? And honestly, with everything his best friend had gone through in his life, Big Red could confidently say that Ricky was one of his heroes. And he would be there to support him till the day they died. He knew Ricky would be there for him too. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Big Red yawned as he stared at himself in the mirror, too tired to go to school but forcing himself to get ready anyway. He was still in his pajamas, loose t-shirt crinkled from the odd positions he slept in and eyes circled with dark exhaustion. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He bent down to his sink, turning on the faucet and splashing water on his face to wake himself up when he heard his cellphone ding on the counter beside him, the special ringtone letting him know that it was Ricky texting. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He patted his face with a towel quickly, reaching for his phone to check what Ricky had sent to him when he gasped, feeling a sharp pressure digging into the back of his head from above him, red energy flowing into his brain and taking control of him </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He rose slowly, a blank expression on his face as he looked into the mirror and saw a dark figure standing behind him. Big Red’s eyes glowed red before he was teleported out of his bathroom, in a puff of red smoke. </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> From blaze it </em> 🔥: <em> bruh have you heard from nini?? or ej for that matter </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Red’s phone lay abandoned on the counter of the sink, text unanswered. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Friday</p><p>12:23 AM</p><p>The Bowen Residence</p><p>214 Xavier Boulevard</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Love you, too,” EJ muttered back to Ricky before closing the door behind him as quietly as he could. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> His smile grew as he stood there in the hallway, clad only in his black boxers, reeling from what had just happened while trying to calm his breathing. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> One, two. In through your nose. One, two. Out through your mouth. Repeat. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He did that for a couple more seconds, eyes closed in concentration before he broke, not able to contain his excitement. He wanted to jump around and scream; he wanted to burst into song to declare how he was feeling; he wanted to climb up to the roof and shout to the world: RICKY BOWEN SAID HE LOVED ME!!! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Well. He said “love you.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But that still kinda counts, right? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Whatever. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>EJ finally contained himself enough to actually head to the bathroom, walking on his tip toes and trying his hardest to reduce the squeaking of the floorboards underneath him. He snuck through the door and closed it behind him, cringing when it emitted a high pitched sound. Stepping into the bathroom, he stopped when he came face to face with his reflection in the mirror above the sink. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Small, mouth shaped bruises were beginning to form on his neck and trailed down his shoulders from where Ricky latched onto him to stifle his noises. EJ brought a hand up to trace the lovebites, pulse beating hard as he remembered the feeling of Ricky’s lips on his skin. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> He really didn’t like to admit it, but he liked Ricky. Like. A lot. And for quite a while now. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> His schoolboy crush had only elevated when they actually started spending time with each other instead of pretending to hate each other. EJ was almost thankful that they had almost killed each other in the cafeteria because then they wouldn’t have gotten detention and, well-- you know the rest. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p><em> If all of that didn’t happen, God knows EJ would absolutely not have made a move. And honestly, he never understood why it was so difficult for him to just...go for it. He was EJ motherfucking Drip Caswell, for fuck’s sake. Everyone wanted him. There was no reason for him to not just get the one person </em> <b> <em>he</em> </b> <em> wanted. </em></p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> But everything about Ricky was different. Ricky was hard to understand. He had a tough exterior that was hard to break. He was loyal to his friends, headstrong in a fight, stubborn in his arguments. But most of all: he was brave. He was brave even when he didn’t have powers. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> EJ wasn’t brave. He was a coward who hid behind a cocky facade, a clown whose only personality trait was being an asshole. But Ricky wasn’t like any of the people at school who wanted him. Ricky was the only person to see right through him. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Maybe that’s why he thought he hated Ricky. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Maybe that’s why he had grown to love him. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Sighing as he reflected on his past with Ricky, EJ grabbed a small towel from the closet behind him. He figured that the younger boy was probably dead asleep by now but contrary to popular belief, EJ was actually a good person and knew he should clean up Ricky’s mess anyway. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Slowly, he opened the bathroom door and stepped out of it, his back to the hallway as the cold air from the A/C hit his bare skin and sent a shiver up his spine. He held the towel tight in his hand and was about to turn around to head back to Ricky’s bedroom when his head snapped up, feeling the tip of a cold, sharp, object pressing into the back of his neck, </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> Before he could investigate, his body went limp, all control disappearing as the menacing red energy forced its way into him. His eyes flashed scarlet just for a second before fading into an icy, blank expression. The towel he was holding fell from his hand, landing on the floor of the hallway. </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>
  <em> A sinister voice chuckled from behind him, snarling, “God, Ricky is just making it too damn easy…” </em>
</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>*****</p><p class="p1"><br/>“No. You <em> cannot </em> be implying what I think you’re implying.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ricky. You obviously didn’t take it, so who else would?” his father reasoned, pacing around the living room frustrated as Ricky began biting his lip nervously.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“He wouldn’t take it! He couldn’t have! We walked side by side back to the elevator; he didn’t look back at it once. He didn’t even know what it was!” Ricky argued, mostly to calm himself down.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“WELL, THEN WHERE IS IT!?!”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“<em> I DON’T KNOW!!” </em></p><p class="p1"> </p><p>He held his face in his hands in frustration, rubbing his temples.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>There was no way EJ would take the scepter, right? It wouldn’t make sense.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>But it also didn’t make sense for EJ to break up with him today. So, Ricky guessed the older boy was full of surprises.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>His father continued pacing around the room, leaving Ricky to overthink all decisions he had ever made in his life that had led him to this moment. His overbearing thoughts were interrupted, however, when his phone began ringing.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>Ricky knew he threw it across the couch but he hadn’t seen where it had landed after hitting his dad so he scrambled to find it, throwing pillows around and lifting the cushions up until he spotted it in a dark crevice. Out of breath, he lifted the phone to his ear and answered, “Hello?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“<em> RICKY!” </em>Ashlyn screamed through the receiver, making him flinch as he didn’t realize he put the phone on speaker mode.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Yes? Hello. Ashlyn, what’s up?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Please tell me you’re not busy right now!” she rushed out frantically.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>His eyebrows knitted together in concern, “Uh, I’m not really...Why?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Something’s wrong,” she began, before being interrupted by the sounds of screaming and something crashing in the background.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>His father stopped his pacing, turning towards his son to listen to the conversation while Ricky’s back straightened in fear. “Are you okay? What’s going on? Aren’t you at homecoming right now?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“It’s EJ,” she panicked, sounding out of breath as if she’d been running. “Everything was fine, we were all dancing but then out of nowhere--”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>She was once again interrupted by the sounds of shuffling footsteps and screams of terror and Ricky’s knee was beginning to bounce nervously.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Ashlyn?! ‘Out of nowhere’ what??”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“I don’t know, EJ just---he, like, pulled out this <em> thing </em> and he just <em> exploded </em>! I don’t know what’s wrong with him but people are getting hurt and--”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“What <em> thing, </em> Ashlyn?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“This-- <em> staff </em>, I don’t know it’s like a scepter or something…”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>She babbled on, continuing to describe the object but Ricky and his dad had already locked eyes, knowing exactly what she was talking about.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“...Look, I don’t know what the fuck it is,” she concluded. “All I know is that you need to get here and <em> quickly </em> because shit’s going down!”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>With that, the girl hung up, leaving Ricky and his father alone with the sound of the dead line.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Ricky,” his dad said confidently, head held high.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“I know you’re still learning about your powers. I know you probably aren’t ready for this yet. But we need to go to Sky High right now to save your friends and get that scepter out of EJ’s hands. This is a <em> mission </em>. You know what I say to my team when we’re about to head off on a mission?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>Ricky rose from his place on the couch slowly, heart beating out of his chest as he maintained eye contact with his father. “What do you say?”</p><p class="p1"> </p><p>“It’s time to suit up.”</p><p class="p1"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>shits about to go down babey and im here for it</p><p>did yall catch the bus stop, supportive friend, and towel? 👁👄👁</p><p>also pls tell me yall understood my references with their adresses 🤠👉🏼👈🏼</p><p>anyway lets talk about 1d's 10 year anniversary and how disappointing it was. whyd they give us that many remixes like who asked for that 😹 give us the studio version of teenage dirtbag you fucking cowards</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. but this is bigger than triumph</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>SHIT IS GOING DOWN</p><p>ALSO GINI RIGHTS</p><p>AND SEBLOS RIGHTS</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>ITS THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF SKY HIGH I WAS NOT PLANNING ON POSTING THIS UNTIL A FEW DAYS FROM NOW BUT I SIMPLY CANNOT WAIT TO CELEBRATE THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION IN HISTORY</p><p>THANK U WILL STRONGHOLD I WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT YOU</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Gina looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, ditching homecoming for just a few moments to reapply her shining pink lip gloss. She smacked her lips and fluffed her ponytail, smirking at her reflection as she admired herself in the mirror.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not too bad for an assassin, she thought, turning in a 360 to appreciate the multicolor sequin dress she bought for the occasion. On literally any other person in the universe, the tight, striped dress would look like a clown costume, but Gina was-- well, Gina. So, she kind of made everything look good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did a little happy dance in the mirror before freezing, sensing someone was watching her. Turning around swiftly, she saw Nini standing in the doorway of the bathroom, arms crossed over her chest and looking at Gina fondly. She wore a spaghetti strap red dress with tiny white polka dots and a tie in the front, delicate black heels, and had her hair perfectly curled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looks pretty tonight, Gina thought to herself. But then again, she thought Nini looked pretty everyday.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow. I guess what they all say about you having good reflexes is really true,” Nini quipped from where she was perched.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trying to sneak up on me, Salazar?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just wanted to see where you went. You were gone for a while, so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gina pouted sarcastically, “Aww, you were concerned for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah,” Nini mumbled, gaze fixed on the floor to hide her shy smile as she began to pace around the bathroom slowly. “I mean, you’d think for a school for </span>
  <em>
    <span>superheroes</span>
  </em>
  <span> there would be a lot less </span>
  <em>
    <span>evil </span>
  </em>
  <span>people. Wouldn’t want you to get your head shoved in a toilet or anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nini, I think we both know that I’d be the one shoving anyone’s head in a toilet,” Gina deadpanned.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nini rolled her eyes in response, a chuckle escaping her lips. Gina pretended that the sound didn’t give her butterflies. “Let’s head back to the dance, yeah? I think Carlos just requested that the DJ play some City Girls and I know you love them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, what would I do without that mindreader.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway, laughing and making jokes with each other until they heard a piercing scream coming from the direction of the gym where the dance was being held. Gina’s head snapped towards the sound, eyes wide with concern before turning to Nini quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck was tha--” she began but froze as she saw Nini standing across from her, small forcefields emitting from her hands and all the warmth from her expression suddenly gone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah…” she began, voice cold. “Maybe your reflexes aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> that good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gina’s eyes widened as Nini swung towards her roughly, hitting her across the head with her solid forcefield and knocking her to the ground, unconscious.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nini brought two fingers to her forehead, eyes turning red as she alerted, “One down, four more to go…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seb and Carlos walked down the hallway together, hands in the pockets of their suits as they spoke softly to each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know, I personally think you should’ve been put in the hero program, Seb. I mean you can turn into almost any animal you want. That’s definitely hero-worthy to me,” Carlos gushed with a genuine smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seb blushed. “That’s okay. Honestly, I really like being in the support program.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, </span>
  <em>
    <span>but</span>
  </em>
  <span> do people not realize that a hippo is a herbivore?? Hippos can rip people in half with their jaws! I’m pretty sure that constitutes being in the hero program.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is very true,” Seb agreed, smirking at Carlos’ knowledge of herbivores. “But you know, people hear ‘herbivore’ and they just think of small little animals like hamsters and guinea pigs. I mean, gorillas are also vegetarian and they can run twice as fast a human. That’s not something an everyday hero can do!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Totally agree.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t sell yourself short, though. I mean telekinesis, mind reading, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> mind control?!? That would be a dream!” Seb praised, putting a hand on Carlos’ arm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stopped in the middle of the hallway, looking into each other’s eyes as their shy smiles grew. They had been talking a lot more recently, hanging out a lot more. There was definitely something going on between them but neither of them had said anything about it out loud, too scared to be the one to make the first move.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what else would be a dream?” Carlos whispered, stepping closer to the blonde.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What would that be?” Seb replied softly, glancing at the other boy’s lips as they leaned in closer to each other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their noses brushed and breath mingled. “Getting to kiss you under the fairy lights at homecoming.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seb just smiled even wider, finally leaning in.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before their lips could meet, their foreheads were knocked together hard, making them fall to the ground disoriented.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the…?” Carlos began, rubbing his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t able to finish his sentence however, when he saw a pair of long arms slither out from the darkness of the hallway and grab both Seb’s and his ankles. The pair looked at each other with wide eyes before being dragged roughly down the hallway, screaming. They finally met the owner of said arms when a certain ginger boy stood above them, still holding their ankles in a tight grip as his arms returned to their normal length.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So sorry to interrupt your little moment there,” Big Red apologized sarcastically. “But unfortunately that kiss will probably have to happen some other time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, the red haired boy slammed the boys into the lockers on either side of him, over and over again until they were rendered unconscious, groaning as Big Red let go of them, their bodies limp. He stuffed them into the janitor’s closet and locked the door from the outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bringing his fingers to his forehead, the boy’s eyes turned scarlet as he declared to the others, “Seb and Carlos: check!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, shit!” Ashlyn lamented, hitting her phone over and over again as if that would bring the device back to life. “My fucking phone died!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, how the fuck are we supposed to tell Ricky what’s going on now?!” Kourtney asked, panicked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What about your phone?!?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sis, I was not thinking about my Gucci purse when I saw your cousin with a goddamn giant scepter, I was thinkin’ bout </span>
  <em>
    <span>my life!</span>
  </em>
  <span> That means I </span>
  <em>
    <span>run</span>
  </em>
  <span>, bitch!” Kourtney fretted frantically. “But in hindsight I should’ve been thinkin’ about my Gucci purse because my phone was in there and now </span>
  <em>
    <span>yours is dead!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair had run from the gym in a panic, scrambling to find an open classroom that could provide them some type of safety from the ensuing chaos outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They had absolutely no idea what the fuck was going on tonight: Nini and Big Red hadn’t shown up to the group’s pre-dance hangout, nor did they answer any of Kourtney or Ashlyn’s texts about it. But they arrived at the dance and sat at their table as if nothing was wrong. EJ had shown up with some bottle blonde who was the </span>
  <em>
    <span>opposite</span>
  </em>
  <span> of Ricky and pointedly ignored the group all together; as if they hadn’t all become closer in the past few weeks. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>then</span>
  </em>
  <span>, EJ pulled a fucking golden scepter seemingly out of nowhere and maniacally laughed while zapping glowing red icicles at people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So. Ashlyn was tired and the space buns she had put in her hair had begun to fall out and someone spilled punch on her flowing green maxi dress while they were running out of the gym.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kourtney was pissed off because EJ had decided the perfect moment to turn evil was the same time the DJ decided to play Beyonce’s new song. And she did not wear this off the shoulder black dress and gold heels just to be attacked as Beyonce played in the background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat in the dark classroom in silence, catching their breath from how hard they had run away and minds reeling from how ridiculous the situation was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I cannot believe we are hiding from </span>
  <em>
    <span>your cousin</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>chemistry lab</span>
  </em>
  <span> during </span>
  <em>
    <span>homecoming</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Kourtney squealed quietly, shaking her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just as shocked as you are,” Ashlyn replied in a bored tone, resting her head on her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, I figured this dance would be a bust but I didn’t think it would be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> much of a bust,” the girl continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And yeah, I always thought EJ was bad news but I didn’t think he would try and </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill</span>
  </em>
  <span> the student body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ashlyn sighed, her jaw tight, “I know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like, I always joked that he was too evil for the hero program but I didn’t actually </span>
  <em>
    <span>mean </span>
  </em>
  <span>it--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Kourtney! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Shut up!” The red head interrupted, rising from where she sat on the floor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other girl brought a hand to her chest in shock, “Excuse me?? If you wanted me to stop talkin’ smack about your cousin you could have just said--”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! It’s not that. Listen,” Ashlyn whispered with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kourtney got up quietly to concentrate on what Ashlyn was hearing, eyebrows knitted together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>From outside the closed door of the classroom, the girls could hear the dragging of metal on the floor of the hallway; linoleum tiles rubbing uncomfortably against the sharp gold tip of the scepter. Ashlyn cringed at the noise; it was like she was back in kindergarten when the teachers scratched their nails against the blackboard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls froze as the noise came to a sudden stop. They held their breaths for one second, then two seconds until they flinched as the doorknob to the classroom shook, someone trying to get inside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They watched with bated breaths as the sharp tip of the scepter dragged down the frosted glass of the small windows in the wooden door. Three slow knocks pounded onto the door and the pair jumped, holding onto each other in fear.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come out, come out wherever you are…” the familiar icy tone of EJ’s voice taunted behind the door. “I know you're in there little cousin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ashlyn stayed silent, holding her breath as if that would notify EJ of her presence in the room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aw, come on. You know I always hated playing hide and seek,” the boy drawled out, a pout on his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kourtney’s heart beat out of her chest as she remained as still as she possibly could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ sighed dramatically, “Okay, fine...I guess I’ll count. How long does the seeker usually give the person hiding? Ten seconds?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls held each other tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ten...nine...eight…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He placed the tip of the scepter on the metal door knob. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seven...six...five…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Vines from the trees outside began sliding in through the windows of the classroom slowly as Ashlyn steeled herself for the oncoming fight. Kourtney stood taller as well, forming sharp light beams in her hands in anticipation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Four...three...two…” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But before EJ could reach one, he blew down the door with the power of the staff, standing in the doorway as red smoke swirled around him from the impact.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His evil smirk returned as he saw Ashlyn and Kourtney in the classroom standing side by side, defiant as Ashlyn held tight onto her vines and Kourtney’s eyes glowed gold, ready for a fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ pouted, “Well that wasn’t a very fun game. I already found you!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He lifted the scepter, ready to strike the girls with red icicles when suddenly a ball of fire hit him from the side, knocking him off his feet and out of the doorway. The staff flew out of his hands across from him and he was about to reach for it when a red boot stepped on it and EJ looked up with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Taking over the world during a school dance? Sounds like the plot of a B-list superhero movie that’s not good enough to get a sequel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky stood above his newly ex-boyfriend-who-wasn’t-his-boyfriend-but-who-was-his-boyfriend, arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the older boy unimpressed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ashlyn and Kourtney ran to the door to see who had hit EJ and gasped excitedly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ricky!” Ashlyn lit up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>nice</span>
  </em>
  <span> suit!” Kourtney praised, nodding her head slowly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky smirked, bearing more weight on the scepter as EJ tried once again to grab it. His father and him had taken advantage of the suit maker in their lair and had quickly designed a fireproof suit for Ricky to wear. Of course, he had to match his father’s favorite suit; opting for a tight matte black with dark red accents. He didn’t bother with a mask because he was annoying and kind of wanted everyone to know he was about to save the day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Hopefully.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I like how tight it is. Definitely shows off that fine ass of yours,” EJ drawled seductively, looking up at his ex-boyfriend-who-wasn’t-his-boyfriend-but-who-was-his-boyfriend with dark eyes and a dirty smirk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky rolled his eyes and scoffed, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, shut up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Make me, baby,” EJ slurred, licking his teeth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to spit out another snarky remark when suddenly a rose bud attached to a vine began hitting him in the face repeatedly and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The senior’s eyes began rolling back into his head as he became disoriented, and with one last, </span>
  <em>
    <span>violent</span>
  </em>
  <span> punch from the rose, EJ was knocked unconscious, his body going limp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky turned, following the vine as it retracted back in the direction of Ashlyn, who had her hands behind her back and wore a bashful smile as Ricky and Kourtney looked at her with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought you didn’t believe in using your powers for violence…?” Ricky questioned in disbelief, eyebrows raised.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He deserved it,” the ginger replied, shrugging her shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trio laughed and Ricky reached down to grab the scepter from underneath him, twirling it in his hands as he looked at it with a sort of terrified sense of wonder. He was scared to find out what other damage the thing had done tonight alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...is anyone going to explain what the hell that thing is?” Kourtney prompted, looking around uncomfortably.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can do that,” Mr. Bowen declared, fully clad in his Thunderbolt suit and stepping onto the scene in all his superhero glory. He stood in the middle of the hallway, hands on his hips and head held high.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’re dramatic, Dad,” Ricky complained at the same time Ashlyn gasped out a “Holy shit, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Thunderbolt!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, Ricky,” Mr. Bowen scolded before flashing a bright smile at Kourtney and Ashlyn, “and hello girls!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair squealed in excitement to each other while Ricky just rolled his eyes, a smile playing his lips. Mr. Bowen beckoned the teens in his direction, so they formed a small circle in the hallway to listen to the hero, Ricky dragging EJ’s lifeless body along with him just in case the senior woke up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> that?” Ashlyn wondered, nodding in the direction of the scepter in Ricky’s hand while he dropped EJ to the ground next to him in a heap.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This,” Thunderbolt said, taking the scepter from his son. “Is Shadowglare’s scepter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...And who is Shadowglare, I might ask?” Kourtney questioned further.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Bowen sighed. “Shadowglare was one of my worst enemies back in the day. She’s an extremely powerful sorceress with an unimaginable amount of powers that honestly, I can’t even begin to name. She uses chaos magic and has reality warping powers which basically means...she can do anything. And that is an extremely dangerous ability, especially if wielded by someone with ill-intent.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Shadowglare had </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>of ill-intent. About a year before Ricky was born, I defeated her and her ally Cataclysmic before they could do some really bad damage to the population. Neither of them have been seen since.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And the staff?” Ashlyn continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shadowglare used the staff to better control her powers; even she knew she was too powerful for her own good so she put her best abilities into the scepter’s core stone. It can create energy blasts, brainwash people’s minds, and adapt to the powers of anyone holding it. Which is why it shouldn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> be caught in the wrong hands,” Mr. Bowen finished explaining, looking down at the unconscious EJ on the ground and tapping him with his boot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So...how did it end up with EJ?” Kourtney asked bluntly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Bowen’s head shot up to give Ricky an unimpressed look, catching his son like a deer in headlights as the teen looked over his shoulder as if his father could be addressing anyone else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck as his father replied, “Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> threw a party and let </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> into our lair where the scepter has been held all this time. And then I checked the lair tonight and the scepter was gone. And then Ashlyn called Ricky in a panic and well-- you put two and two together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Way to go, Ricky,” Kourtney deadpanned, shaking her head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah...not my best move,” the boy conceded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But wait…” Ashlyn stepped in. “Are you trying to say that EJ stole the scepter at your party?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky shrugged, “Well...yeah. I mean, he just had it in his hand didn’t he? You said he was hurting people with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He was but...I don’t know. He’s an asshole and I joke around a lot that he’s evil but it doesn’t seem like him. Nothing about this seems like something he’d do. Why would he break up with you this morning? Just yesterday he was gushing about how nervous he was to ask you to homecoming. And then he shows up with Sabrina Sullivan and starts hurling ice crystals at people? It doesn’t make sense,” Ashlyn concluded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t…” Ricky agreed, eyebrows knit in concentration and lip between his teeth as he thought to himself. “He was so cruel this morning but last night when I was with him he was acting like a complete lovestruck idiot. He did a total 180!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His father looked at him, hand on his hip. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?’</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you say that you were with him last night?” the man asked incredulously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why?” Ricky said, looking around nonchalantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mr. Bowen chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. “And </span>
  <em>
    <span>where</span>
  </em>
  <span> were you with him last night?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky froze, eyebrows shooting up and mouth forming a thin line as he realized what he had just let slip out. Ashlyn and Kourtney looked between the father and son duo with wide eyes as they realized what Ricky had accidentally implied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky opened his mouth then closed it again, trying to find the right words to say as he scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. He gave up trying to think of a lie and facepalmed before confessing, “...My bedroom.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pair of girls covered their mouths to hide their giggles as Thunderbolt threw his arms up in the air incredulously, rolling his eyes at his son’s actions. “So, you snuck a boy into the house last night?!? Ergo, giving him another opportunity to steal the scepter?! If I didn’t love you so much, Ricky, I’d hit you with a bolt of lightning!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his mouth, snorting at the fact that his dad had to find out this way and soon the girls and his father had joined him, laughter echoing throughout the hallway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The joy was interrupted however as they noticed EJ move below them, eyes fluttering as he began to regain consciousness with a groan. The group stepped back in caution and activated their powers; Ricky conjuring fire into his hands, Ashlyn willing vines to grow on the lockers behind her, Kourtney forming sharp light beams, and Mr. Bowen sparking lightning with his fingertips and gripping the scepter in his hands tighter. They held their breaths and flinched as EJ shot up frantically, looking around with wide eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fuck. What the hell is happening?! Where am I?!” the senior questioned. When no one replied, EJ looked at Ricky desperately, moving to stand up but stopping when he saw the junior flinch away from him. A flash of hurt shined in EJ’s eyes as he whispered timidly, “Ricky?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky steeled himself, clenching his jaw as the fire in his hands became slightly larger. “Do you remember anything, EJ? Anything at all about what you did in the past 24 hours?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ nervously ran his hands through his hair, ruining the perfectly styled brown hair and making it droop onto his forehead. Ricky would’ve thought it was cute if he wasn’t scared shitless of the boy in front of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Realization seemed to dawn on EJ’s face as he shook his head frantically and got to his feet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mind control,” he stated simply, putting his hands up in surrender as he panted nervously.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Kourtney replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior began fidgeting again, shaking his head as he began to remember what had happened to him. “Mind control, scepter...Big Red...Nini…” he muttered to himself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“EJ,” Mr. Bowen said calmly, taking a slow step toward the senior. “You need to work with us here. You need to cooperate. Can you tell us what happened? Can you explain why you had this scepter?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>EJ’s eyes widened in fear as he saw the staff in Mr. Bowen’s hand, stumbling over his feet as he reeled back. “Shadowglare…” he whispered under his breath.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not going to hurt you, EJ,” the man placated, carefully placing the weapon down on the ground in front of him and raising his hands peacefully. “Just tell us what happened.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The senior looked at the staff nervously before stuttering, his voice trembling in his throat.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shadowglare. S-she took control of me. She’s b-back. Shadowglare’s back.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>
  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3eyczMk03IJUi3w8ymTnCa?si=pn-vXCjuTtayXEIjJM0FAg">pls validate me by listening to the playlist inspired by this fic</a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. on the front line, ready for war</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>i didnt realize this was 4000 words until rn 😀 what the fawk</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>the hsmtmts stan twitter community is so toxic LMFAO and i am so- sensitive ✨so i will simply try my best not to engage BC everyone in that sphere is BRUTAL and RUTHLESS and i am simply a speck of dust in their vacuum. </p>
<p>anyway</p>
<p>chapter title from "my power" by beyonce bc i ran out of lyrics to use from the alicia keys song LMFAO. stream black is king on disney+ instead of hsmtmts.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“No. <em> No, </em>that’s not possible. I defeated her sixteen years ago,” Thunderbolt denied vehemently, shaking his head.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Didn’t you always say that you thought she was gonna come back?” Ricky poised.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, but-- only for dramatic effect! I didn’t actually think it was true!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky facepalmed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey,” EJ interjected, bringing the attention back to him. “Look I-- I realize that I did horrible things under her influence and that you all probably don’t trust me but-- but I promise she’s not controlling me anymore. It’s me, really. It’s me. Look.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He brought two fingers to his temple, eyebrows knitted together as he concentrated, “Hello? Anyone there?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The group stayed silent as they waited for EJ to elaborate.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“...And what the hell is that supposed to prove?” Kourtney wondered, arms crossed over her chest.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The senior sighed, exasperated as he explained, “When I was under her control she would make us put our fingers to our heads so we could communicate with the others. Our eyes would turn red and glow like <em> demons </em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, did you say <em> others </em>?” Ashlyn repeated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yes, she took control of two other people. It’s--”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Big Red and Nini,” Ricky finished, eyes locked on the ground as he finally understood. He shook his head cynically and scoffed. “God, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it sooner.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you mean? How do you know it’s them?” his father chimed in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky sighed as he explained, “They were both acting strange today as well. Big Red completely ignored my existence and Nini said some <em> nasty </em> things to me this morning.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I knew they were acting weird...they skipped out on our pre-homecoming hangout and didn’t answer any of our texts,” Kourtney provided.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I should’ve known there was something going on when the three people I love the most made me feel like shit.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ looked up at him with glassy eyes and an apology on his tongue but Ricky held up a hand, interrupting anything the senior was about to say.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We’ll talk about it later,” Ricky declared with finality, making EJ deflate. “Right now, you need to help us figure out what’s going on. You were the one under Shadowglare’s control, so you must know her plan right? Tell us everything you know so that we can stop whatever else she has up her sleeve.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky looked at EJ seriously, eyes never leaving the senior’s face. (He didn’t catch the way his father nodded at him, proud of his son for taking control of the situation so easily.)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know her whole plan but...she’s clearly out to get you, isn’t she? I mean, she put me, Nini, and Big Red under her control and like you said we’re the people closest to you. Is there a reason why she would have a vendetta against you?” EJ began.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Maybe she’s trying to get revenge on me for defeating her all those years ago,” Mr. Bowen suggested, scratching his chin. “She’s hurting you because she knows that seeing you hurt will hurt <em> me </em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That sounds plausible…” Ricky agreed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But wait,” Ashlyn chimed in. “Where are Nini and Big Red now if you’re here with us and no longer under Shadowglare’s control?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ cursed under his breath, “Shit. She was making us go after everyone in our friend group and hold them hostage so they wouldn’t get in the way of her plan. Before you knocked me out I was clearly on my way to get you and Kourtney. But I’m pretty sure Nini took care of Gina while Big Red got Carlos and Seb. I heard them in my head letting us know that they completed their task.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, we have to find our friends and save them and make sure they’re not <em> dead </em>. Do you remember if Nini and Big Red took them somewhere?” Ricky said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ nodded as everyone continued listening to him intently, “I’m pretty sure they put everyone in a janitor’s closet in the B-wing hallway.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“B-wing? That’s on the other side of the school! We need to get going if we want to make sure they’re not dead,” Kourtney deduced.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The teens all nodded in agreement, about to turn on their heels before Mr. Bowen stopped them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wait!” he shouted, making the kids stop in their tracks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dad, we have no time to wait! Our friends might be in danger!” Ricky said impatiently, hand on his hip. The pose made EJ want to smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mr. Bowen copied his son’s stance, making fun of him as he countered, “Okay, and what’s your plan?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky pursed his lips and stood silently for a few seconds before turning to his friends behind him. “Ashlyn, you wanna take this one?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh my God,” she rolled her eyes, incredulously.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> I’ll </em> take this one,” EJ said, stepping in front of Ricky and taking control. The junior narrowed his eyes at him and frowned but didn’t object as EJ continued. “How about we split up? If one pair of us goes to the south entrance of the B-wing and another goes to the north, then we’ll have eyes and ears on both sides of the hallway. That way we can also scout two different parts of the school on our way there just in case Red and Nini are lurking somewhere else. And if we find either of them…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When I knocked you out, you woke up and were no longer under her control. So maybe a good blow to the head will get them back on our side,” Ashlyn supplied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ’s eyes whipped to her in offense. “<em> You </em> were the one that knocked me out??”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a wave of her hand.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That sounds pretty solid for now,” Thunderbolt approved. “While you guys do that I’ll hold onto the scepter and try to gather as many students and teachers as I can to evacuate. We want as little civilian injuries and deaths as possible and we already know that your friends have been hurt. If we can get as many people out of here as we can, that gives Big Red, Nini, Shadowglare and whoever else is in on this plan less damage to be done.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sounds like a plan,” Ricky nodded as the group reconvened.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ scoffed, “Yeah, no thanks to you, <em> Blaze </em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up,” Ricky shot furiously before mumbling under his breath to himself, “<em> Fucking annoying as fuck, how can you even talk to me like that when you literally broke up with me this morning and suddenly you act like everything’s fine? Just because you were under mind control that doesn’t mean I’m in the fucking mood to joke around with you, you stupid fuck--” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ahem!” Kourtney coughed, breaking Ricky from his rant. “<em> Anyway </em>. Let’s get going. Who wants to be a pair with who?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll go with you, Kourtney!” Ashlyn piped up instantly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kourtney gushed, “Love that, we’ll take the south entrance route.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wait—” EJ interjected at the same time Ricky piped up, “But that means—”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Bye!” Ashlyn and Kourtney said at the same time, turning on their heels quickly and power walking arm in arm down the other side of the hallway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They turned a corner out of sight and let go of their arms laughing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“How much you wanna bet they kill each other before we even get to the janitor’s closet?” Ashlyn quipped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kourtney raised her eyebrows, smirking. “How much you wanna bet they <em> kiss </em> each other before we even get to the janitor’s closet?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Tou-fucking-ché.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Back in the hallway, EJ and Ricky stood with their mouths agape, staring after the girls in disbelief.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> Those conniving little... </em>Ricky thought to himself before being interrupted by his father.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Good luck! I’ll be off to round up the rest of the students. You know how to reach me, Ricky.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And with that, Thunderbolt flew down the hallway, scepter in hand, leaving the boys standing awkwardly in the hallway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ scratched the back of his neck. Ricky cleared his throat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So, uh. I guess we should get going so that we can meet Ashlyn and Kourtney at the north entrance in time?” EJ suggested hesitantly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Whatever,” Ricky agreed reluctantly, not looking at EJ and arms crossed over his chest as he turned on his heel down the other side of the hallway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He took longer strides than necessary, nose held high in the air to make it obvious that he wasn’t in the mood to talk to the senior. EJ tried his best to keep up with him but struggled, looking down at him desperately. They turned corner after corner silently before EJ finally broke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“C’mon, Ricky, can we please just talk about this?” EJ begged, still trying to match Ricky’s quick pace.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What’s there to talk about? You broke up with me.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ricky, I was under <em> mind control! </em>I didn’t mean anything that I said!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky stopped abruptly, making EJ almost trip over his own feet at the sudden halt. “It’s not that easy. It was <em> you </em> that said it. Your face. Your body. I can’t— I can barely even look at you right now without thinking of all the horrible things that came out of your mouth this morning.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked at the ground, jaw tense as he continued walking again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“They came out of my mouth, but they didn’t come out of my brain!” EJ defended desperately. “I would <em> never </em> say those things to you! You know how I feel about you!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The junior halted once more before turning to face EJ slowly, heart beating out of his chest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We can’t talk about this right now, okay? We’re on a mission. We need to focus and— ” Ricky began before stuttering as he noticed the hickeys on EJ’s neck.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The senior looked at him confused before following the trail of his eyes. He touched the bruises self-consciously as he realized what Ricky was looking at.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Did Sabrina Sullivan give those to you?” Ricky seethed bitterly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ took a step closer to him, invading his personal space. Ricky didn’t make a move to get away, but continued staring ahead, not looking the senior in the eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No,” EJ whispered, pointedly. “<em> You </em> did. Last night. Remember? Before my mind got taken over, we were having a <em> lovely </em> time together. I’d like to think you were <em> especially </em> having a lovely time considering how many of these I have <em> under </em> my shirt as well.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky dared to glance up into EJ’s eyes, his pulse rapid. He opened his mouth to speak before shutting it again as he got distracted by the bright seafoam eyes in front of him. He gulped before turning away from the senior quickly and resuming his power walk from earlier.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“We can’t talk about this right now. We’re on a mission.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>But the effect of his words was lost from how high his voice had become.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ rolled his eyes before jogging to catch up to the younger boy once more, almost crashing into him when Ricky stopped abruptly at a corner.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you ever walk more than 5 feet before stopping?” EJ wondered, annoyed, before Ricky held a hand up to shush him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up, we’re at the north entrance. Look at the janitor’s closet,” Ricky whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ stood behind Ricky, looking over his shoulder into the dark corridor. The hallway was lined with maroon lockers and light brown wooden classroom doors, the lights hanging in the ceiling turned off except for one. In the middle of the hallway, between two sections of lockers was the janitor’s closet. The only light in the corridor hung right above the door, casting the closet in a harrowing glow that made a shiver run up Ricky’s spine.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I really hope they're still alive…” EJ said seriously, his breath ghosting over Ricky’s ear. He didn’t realize when the older boy got so close to him but he didn’t bother to move away.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A flash of movement showed at the other end of the hall and Ricky was about to panic before he saw the familiar faces of Ashlyn and Kourtney looking over the corner of their end of the hallway. He sent them a small wave, letting them know he and EJ had made it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With a thumbs up and a nod, both pairs cautiously walked towards the closet, arming themselves with their powers. EJ walked backwards, rivulets of water rushing around his hands as he watched Ricky’s back, the younger boy’s flames emerging from his fingers. On the other side of the hallway, Kourtney watched Ashlyn’s back, arming herself with bright light daggers as Ashlyn conjured vines around her arms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The pairs finally met in the middle and Ashlyn sent a vine at the doorknob, wiggling it to see if the door would open.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s locked,” she stated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“The door knob’s metal. I can melt it,” Ricky suggested, before nodding at the three other teens. “Watch my back.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The trio did as they were told, turning away from him and continuing to survey for any danger. EJ took up watching the north entrance, Kourtney the south, and Ashlyn stood in the middle. Ricky pointed a hand at the door, spraying fire like a blowtorch at the gold knob to begin melting. He looked up from his task, however, when he heard the clicking of heels from one side of the hallway and slow clapping from the other side.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The heroes stood up straighter, fighting stances at the ready as Nini and Big Red spoke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Well, well, well. It seems you’ve broken EJ out of his trance,” the girl taunted, arms crossed over her chest and head tilted with an amused expression on her face.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Big Red clapped once more as he let out a cynical laugh, “I was wondering why I wasn’t hearing an annoying, cocky, bastard in my head anymore.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You better stay the fuck back or you’re gonna regret it,” EJ shouted through his teeth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Now what makes you think we’re gonna let you and your friends go that easily?” Nini tutted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Big Red smirked, slowly extending the length of his arms. “It wouldn’t be as fun without a little fight, right?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Ah shit,” Kourtney cursed softly as the arms came closer and closer to where she was standing. She extended the length of her light beams and readied herself to fight, shaking her head and muttering under her breath, “<em> All I wanted to do was dance to some fucking Beyonce…” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the other side of the hallway, Nini wiggled her fingers in a sassy wave to EJ before disappearing completely. “Jesus fuck,” he groaned with an annoyed tone. “I always forget she has invisibility powers.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kourtney yelped as Big Red grabbed her ankle, pulling her off her feet while EJ got the back of his knees kicked by an invisible force, making him fall to the ground.  Ashlyn conjured up more vines, but was blasted off her feet as a forcefield seemingly came out of nowhere. The trio tried their best to fight off the two mind controlled teens, but they were almost no match for the pair.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky panicked with wide eyes and turned back to his task, willing his fire to become stronger so that the doorknob would melt faster. Behind him, EJ was turning every which way to try and anticipate where Nini’s invisible form was, shooting water in different directions unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, Kourtney was being dragged down the hallway by her ankles, trying her best to throw her sharp light beams at Big Red but finding it increasingly difficult with the sporadic directions the ginger was pulling her in. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ashlyn reached one arm out to send a vine in Kourtney’s direction, wrapping it around the girl’s wrist to halt her from being dragged any further. She sent another vine out towards EJ who was continually being punched by an invisible fist and beginning to stumble as he lost consciousness.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, Ricky!” she yelled impatiently as she tried her best not to let Kourtney’s limbs rip off while protecting EJ’s face from anymore hits with her vines. “Might wanna hurry up with that doorknob situation!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m doing my best!” Ricky shouted back with an anxiety ridden tone as he willed his fire to go faster. The doorknob was <em> so close </em> to fully liquifying but not close enough.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>With all the strength she could muster, Ashlyn willed her vine to come back in her direction, pulling Kourtney towards her so hard that Big Red was pulled along with her as he held onto her ankle. Ashlyn retracted her vine from Kourtney quickly, allowing her to rise back to her feet in Big Red’s temporarily distracted state. He recovered and rose as well but before he could inflict anymore damage upon the girls, Kourtney willed herself to glow so bright, eyes glowing as gold as the sun, that Red was almost blinded. As he shielded his eyes and reeled back, she conjured a long beam of light into her hand and pointedly hit the boy upside the head with it as if she were playing baseball.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He fell to the ground in an unconscious heap and Kourtney hummed as she dwindled back to her normal glow. “Don’t fucking drag me, <em> white boy </em>,” she said, satisfied with herself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>At the same time, EJ was slumped on the ground against the lockers, mumbling nonsense to himself as he tried his best to fight back from Nini’s invisible advances with half hearted water attacks. “Ricky...please hurry up, I’m starting to hallucinate that I broke up with you...oh <em> shit </em> I did... <em> fuck </em>…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky pretended not to hear that and opted to continue what he was doing as the melted metal began sliding down the door, sizzling in a fit of smoke.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ashlyn gasped as another forcefield hit her and she narrowed her eyes at the empty hallway in front of her before getting an idea. Putting her hands out in front of her as if she were about to blow a kiss, Ashlyn instead blew yellow pollen into the air of the hallway.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The bright pollen clung to Nini’s invisible figure, alerting the others of her location. Taking advantage of her upper hand, Ashlyn quickly sent vines in the girl’s direction, lassoing her to the spot as Nini struggled against her confines.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EJ got up from where he was slumped, generated an ice ball in his hand and threw it with perfect aim at the pollen covered figure’s head. Nini fell to the ground as her invisibility powers dissipated, revealing herself as she lay unconscious. Ashlyn secured her vines around Nini, keeping her tied up while wrapping Big Red in vines as well to keep him in place in case they woke up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally the  doorknob melted all the way through, the metal spilling in a puddle on the floor. Ricky whooped triumphantly and turned around as he celebrated triumphantly, “I did it!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His smile dropped, however, as he looked at EJ, Ashlyn, and Kourtney sitting side by side on the ground, breathing heavily and exhausted from their fight with Nini and Big Red.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That was so fast,” EJ said sarcastically, eyes closed and head resting on Ashlyn’s shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You couldn’t have taken any longer?” the ginger added.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No, keep going, Ricky,” Kourtney deadpanned. “Time your time.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky was about to apologize profusely when suddenly the door of the closet was bust open aggressively, making the group stand up quickly in alertness. Inside of the closet revealed Gina standing unimpressed with her arms crossed over her chest and Carlos with his hands on his hips looking proudly at...a baby elephant?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The elephant trumpeted triumphantly before morphing back into Seb, who looked at the group with a bright smile.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks for getting rid of that doorknob, Ricky! It was really getting in the way of my elephant self trying to ram the door down,” Seb said as if that was a normal sentence used in everyday life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The trio stepped out into the dim light of the hallway, relieved that they were no longer trapped.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Took long enough for you guys to find us,” Carlos scoffed. “I was about to start rapping Nicki Minaj’s entire discography. That’s how bored I was in that claustrophobic closet.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Why didn’t you just use your telekinesis?” Kourtney wondered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Carlos scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Well, I regained consciousness in the middle of Ricky melting the doorknob and by that time there was already a puddle of metal on the floor, so. We wanted to let Ricky have his moment.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gina rolled her eyes at Carlos, opening her mouth to form a retort when she noticed EJ standing behind Ricky. Without a second glance, she went up to the senior and performed a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him to the ground.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<em> What the fuck??” </em>he groaned, holding the side of his head in his hands.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>She turned to the group with fiery eyes, “What’s <em> he </em> doing here?!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“He helped us find you guys,” Ricky stated simply, not moving to help the senior as he groaned below him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m definitely gonna have a concussion after tonight...” EJ grumbled in pain, mostly to himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, but he <em> broke your heart!!” </em> Gina argued angrily.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky shrugged. “I know, but he was the only person who knew where you guys were being held. So yeah, he did break my heart but at least we got to save you guys.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I told you, I was under <em> mind control!” </em> the senior tried to defend himself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shut up, I’m still mad at you.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gina rolled her eyes at the boys before noticing Nini passed out and tied up on the ground. She walked up to the girl, arms crossed over her chest and shaking her head at herself as she looked down and mumbled, “I cannot <em> believe </em> she distracted me enough to get me like that…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Pfft,” EJ scoffed, still rubbing his head in pain. “You’re <em> always </em>distracted by Nini.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gina glared at him, “Do you want me to drop kick you <em> again?” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The senior flinched, shuffling away before the girl could do anymore damage. The group laughed with each other in the hallway, sound echoing throughout the empty corridor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“So...is anyone going to explain like...what the fawk is going?” Carlos asked, bluntly. “Big Red and Nini attacked us, EJ’s suddenly normal again, and Ricky— that’s a <em> sick </em> suit, but. Why are you wearing it exactly?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky sighed, running a hand down his face as he began explaining the Shadowglare situation for what felt like the millionth time. Gina and Seb listened intently as Ricky recounted his family’s past with the villain as well as the mind control situation while Carlos interjected with <em> “bitch!”, “oh hell no!”, </em>  and <em> “you can’t be serious dzude!” </em> throughout the story.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That is <em> wild </em>,” Gina commented as she processed the information now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It is <em> very wild </em>,” Mr. Bowen declared, dramatically appearing out of nowhere once again and making the teens gasp.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky rolled his eyes. “Can you stop doing that, please?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll stop being dramatic when you stop sneaking boys into our house.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And Ricky pointedly shut up as all his friends began giggling around him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“With that being said,” Thunderbolt continued. “I’ve evacuated most of the students and faculty from the premises. With the help of a pretty little blonde teacher, I may add.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Dad!” Ricky seethed incredulously.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His father ignored him. “So, it would be a good idea for you all to leave as well just in case Shadowglare shows up. We’ve called the Wildcats to help out in case anything happens and if anything does, we don’t want you kids to get caught in the middle of it.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Gina deflated at the hero's words and pouted as Mr. Bowen began escorting them down the hallway to the exit, EJ carrying the unconscious Nini over his shoulder while Seb and Ashlyn dragged Big Red’s limp body. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Boo! I thought we would get to be part of the big battle!” Gina fretted before mumbling under her breath, “<em> I would’ve smashed that bitch to the ground </em>.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Kourtney stopped abruptly, turning to the group cringing, “Wait! Would it be possible to get my Gucci purse from the gym? It was expensive and if the Wildcats are going to get in a fight with Shadowglare I don’t want it to get hit in the crossfire.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thunderbolt was about to make an argument against going back into the building when Ricky interrupted. “I can get it!” he offered, looking at his father for approval.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s a small black leather cross-body with the Gucci logo in gold on the front!” Kourtney added.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Mike opened his mouth to retort but his resolve crumbled. “You know what? I trust you, Ricky. You can go back and get it, but be quick. If you need anything just call me on your comm, okay?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky gave his dad an enthusiastic thumbs up before bouncing back down the hall towards the gym, jogging to save time. He reached the entrance after a few turns and hurriedly opened the door to the now empty room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was eerie; the space still filled with the evidence of a party: blue and gold balloon centerpieces, plates of uneaten food at the tables, floating ladles in forgotten punch bowls, and the abandoned DJ station at the front of the gym. It felt like a moment frozen in time; interrupted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A shiver ran up Ricky’s spine at the sight but he pushed forward with his task, searching the room with narrowed eyes in search of the designer bag. He lit up as he spotted the lights of the disco ball reflecting off the gold logo on the purse from a table across the room. With quick strides, Ricky made his way to the table, grabbing the bag by the leather strap and putting it on his shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He turned on his heel, wanting to get back to the group as soon as possible when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and an unwavering ringing in his ears. He fell to the ground as he was about to pass the DJ booth, hands covering his ears and screaming in pain.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> “Ricky…” </em> a distorted, haunting voice in Ricky’s ear began drawling. If it wasn't for the searing pain poking at every inch of his brain, he would’ve thought the voice sounded kind of...familiar. <em> “Did you really think that was it? That it was over?” </em></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The voice in his head let out a maniacal laugh and he couldn’t help the tear that rolled down his cheek as the pain in his head got worse and worse.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> “Did you really think I would let you go back to your friends that easily? Did you really think I was going to let you go without a fight? That hallway shananigan was just the beginning…” </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky screamed as his body began moving on its own accord, forcing him to turn towards the front of the gym. Involuntarily tears streamed down his face and he gasped as he saw a dark figure standing in the shadows behind the DJ booth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who are you?!?” he shrieked, voice cracking in his throat. “What do you want from me?!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The figure laughed again, but the sound was no longer inside of his head. Ricky watched with glassy eyes and bated breaths as the figure walked forward, heels clicking on the wood floor.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Didn’t I tell you that your life was about to change, Ricky?” the voice began, becoming clearer as the figure stepped into the light of the room.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ricky gasped with wide eyes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em> I’m so proud of you, Ricky. Seems like your life is really about to change. </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No..” he breathed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The figure in the shadows was no longer an unrecognizable dark shape; no longer a distorted voice in his head, a sharp ringing in his ears. No, unfortunately, Ricky knew this figure all too well: tall maroon boots over a black skin tight suit, a red belt and shining red emblem placed on the chest. A billowing red cape that swayed as the person walked towards him with sinister steps. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He sobbed as the dark red boots stopped in front of him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Ricky, I wish it didn’t have to be this way…”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He looked up, eyes shining with fear, betrayal, sadness, anger…</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He didn’t want to feel anymore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Mom?” he gasped, and that was all he could get out before his eyelids dropped and he fell unconscious.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>anyone else feeling super down lately 👁👄👁 lmao. this chapter took soooo long to write bc i am simply not feeling motivated (dw ive written more chapters after this already so im not abandoning this). but damn my anxiety and depression has been,,,so bad lately with summer classes, going back to work, and having to prepare to go back to campus this fall,,,i simply find myself wanting to write about depressing and angsty shit only to get my feelings out LMFAOOO</p>
<p>anyway</p>
<p>PLS BE MY FRIEND!<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/MAGENTAFUL">twitter!</a><br/><a href="https://magentaful.tumblr.com/">tumblr!</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. calculated promises in all your conversation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>here some prose to feed you all in this drought</p><p>chapter title from 'all the stars' by kendrick lamara ft. sza</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Richard Aidan Bowen was born on June 23rd, 2003 at 4:20 pm at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City to Mike and Lynne Bowen. He was born on the summer solstice, the longest and brightest day of the year; the sun’s day, the first day of summer. The rays of light shone through the windows of the hospital and radiated off the sparse brown hairs atop his head, as if they were a halo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lynne knew he would be a light in her life for a very long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was just a little over a year prior that she had met Mike Bowen; a charming man with a dazzling white smile that could win over America. It was love at first sight when they made eye contact at the Lake Effect bar in downtown Salt Lake.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Or at least, that’s what Lynne made him think.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>See, she knew Mike would be at this bar. She knew who Mike Bowen </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> was; behind the kind brown eyes, the tilt of a smirk behind his glass of whiskey, the Yeah-I’m-A-Realtor clean cut hairstyle. She knew that behind that normal nine to five facade, Mike Bowen was anything but ordinary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She may or may not have discreetly entered his mind from across the room and planted a thought in his brain to make him turn in her direction. Maybe she had some influence on the way his eyes scanned the room and stopped as he reached her gaze. Did she plant an idea in his head to get him to walk over to her? Who knows.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well. She knew. But </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>didn’t. He thought he came up with those ideas all by himself. It never occurred to him that it was anyone else’s idea but his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They hit it off that night, of course they did. She made sure of it. She planted herself inside his brain and racked it to find all the things he liked, so that she could mention them out loud. His eyes widened in glee when she mentioned in an off-hand comment how much she loved dipping her fries in relish and she almost laughed out loud because who in their right mind liked </span>
  <em>
    <span>relish?</span>
  </em>
  <span> And she was supposed to be the psycho here?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lynne let him know that she knew he was special. She showed him a trick with her powers, turning the lanterns of the bar into a red light and showering them in a seductive ambiance. He huffed and one upped her by opening up the clouds and bringing down a 5-minute thunderstorm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were married just a few months later. He declared that she was the love of his life and she declared that she couldn’t live without him and the night was spent celebrating in front of their family and friends, popping champagne, and taking pictures in front of the horizon of the orange Utah mountains.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was so happy that night, she almost forgot it wasn’t real.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the time it took her to get Mike Bowen to love her, she had silently convinced herself that she might actually love him back. He was Thunderbolt and she became Starbright and they were a great team. She could sometimes forget that this wasn’t all part of an elaborate plan she had concocted the day Mike Bowen decided to destroy the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> love of her life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lynne visited Todd in jail often. Hated herself for marrying the very person that defaced him, gave him the ugly red scars that spread across his body and face like an invasive spider web. Todd should’ve died from the impact of Thunderbolt’s lightning strike and maybe she would’ve been okay with that. Because then he wouldn’t be stuck suffering in Belle Reve Penitentiary for the next sixteen years, with an inhibitor collar around his throat and scars from being tortured scattered on his skin. Her fist clenched every time she saw those scars and she had to restrain herself from just killing Mike whenever she would come home from those trips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The visits became less frequent when Ricky was born. He became her everything and it was easier to look at his perfect round face and bubbly brown eyes than the ugly scars that Todd wore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She took Ricky to Belle Reve once. He was three years old, one tiny hand clasped on to her finger and the other in his mouth, despite being admonished for it over and over again. He bounced in her lap, eyes wandering around the visiting area curiously as they waited behind the glass. She was scared he would scream when he saw the nasty scars adorning Todd’s skin but Ricky simply pointed a small finger at him and declared, “Deadpool!” in a high pitched voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The visit went well. But she erased it from Ricky’s mind anyway and brought him to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, not wanting to risk her plan being foiled. God knows three year olds don’t have a brain to mouth filter yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes when she looked at Ricky, she wanted to abandon the plan altogether. When she found out she was pregnant with Mike’s child she almost shoved a clothes hanger up herself right then and there, but something in her brain told her not to. She was happy she didn’t go through with the clothes hanger because when she looked at Ricky, it gave her a reason to be good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe she didn’t really ever love Mike, but she loved Ricky. How could she not? He adored her, and she couldn’t help but adore him too. Although, she wished he wasn’t so loveable because she knew she would have to crush all of his happiness one day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sometimes when she would stare into space, thinking about all the choices she had made to get to this point in life, Ricky would break her out of her trance. Would come to their bedroom after a nightmare, eyes glassy with tears and clutching his favorite build-a-bear as he whimpered that he wanted to sleep with her. She would always untuck the blanket, scoot over, and let him lay in the space next to her; wrap her arms around him as his small body fit beside hers; rub comforting circles into his back and sing his favorite song quietly until he fell asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was those moments. Those small, precious moments that made her rethink her plan. She wasn’t expecting him to be part of the plan and he rocked her world. She lived for the days of Dairy Queen blizzards, cuddling on the couch and watching </span>
  <em>
    <span>La La Land</span>
  </em>
  <span>, teleporting to the beach and splashing water in each other’s faces.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she knew, ultimately, that it wasn’t going to last. That it couldn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So she savored those little moments; made sure to spend the most time with Ricky that she was allowed, made sure that he knew that she loved him. Over the seventeen years he had been alive thus far, they had become more than mother and son. They became best friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She planted the idea of a divorce into Mike’s brain a year ago. Made sure to rack his brain for all the things she could find that annoyed him, frustrated him, made him angry. Made sure to do all of those things to piss him off, to make him not want to be married to her anymore. That was easy. That was part of the plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Telling Ricky about the divorce was sad. It made her cry seeing him so hurt. But it was part of the plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Having the divorce trigger a reaction so strong that Ricky’s powers would emerge? Was not part of the plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ricky having fire powers?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that’s something she didn’t see coming.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t part of the plan. But it did change things for her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Positively</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It made her remember why she needed to create this plan in the first place; made her remember the whole reason why she married Mike Bowen also known as Thunderbolt, also known as the man who gave Todd his scars and put him in prison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She knew Ricky like the back of her hand. Always had a feeling he wasn’t straight. He was her son, wasn’t he? So she wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually </span>
  </em>
  <span>surprised to see him at that house party with EJ. She didn’t mean the words she said to him, but they did make it easier to go forward with the plan. EJ was the missing piece; she had Nini and Big Red on the table already and when she scoured EJ’s brain before he left the house that night, she knew he would be the perfect target to get exactly where she needed to for the plan to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it did work. Because now she was here, in the gym of Sky High. EJ, Big Red, and Nini did her dirty work while she got the big kid job done. The teens got Ricky and Mike Bowen exactly where she needed them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>(Thanks to Big Red for staying back in the ensuing chaos of EJ throwing icicles at the homecoming guests. If he didn’t yell at Kourtney to </span>
  <em>
    <span>watch out!</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>run!</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hurry, get out of here!</span>
  </em>
  <span> She probably would’ve left with her Gucci purse. And then Ricky wouldn’t have had a reason to come back to the gym.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And here he was, lying on the ground unconscious below her as she watched with him blank eyes and crossed arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked peaceful like this. Her son. Perfect brown curls, unfairly long lashes fanning across his cheek, a jaw that was beginning to turn into that of a strong man’s. Her son; not originally part of the plan, but the best thing to come out of it.  She loved him so much.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But not as much as she loved Todd.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>fuck lynne bowen but this was a really fun chapter to write also this ship fandom is so damn dead but thanks for sticking w this story yall lmao also i love the friends ive made throuh writing these fics. truly the only reason and motivation im still here.</p><p>EDIT: i forgot to add this!<br/>i made ricky's middle name "aiden" because it means "little fire" hehehe<br/>also ricky's birthday was chosen for very specific reasons. one, of course, being that it was the day of the actual summer soltice in 2003. but the date, time, and location of his birth were also chosen for specific reasons. if you like horoscopes/astrology, <a href="https://www.astro.com/cgi/atxgen.cgi?btyp=apx;lang=e;nhor=1;cid=ps1fileIlMdhO-u1596516362">click here for ricky's birthchart!</a></p><p>yes i did create an entire astrological background for ricky. and ej. yes i am that extra :-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. confrontation aint nothin new to me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry this is so Late but like not that sorry bc my mental health has been bad and ive needed a Break</p>
<p>shoutout to @ichorborn for giving me the motivation to actually finish this chapter LMFAO</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>His leg bounced as he sat on the steps of the school, looking back every few seconds to check the entrances for someone walking out. After the twelfth time looking back in one minute, a hand reached out to stop his knee from bouncing any further.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Bowen, you’re going to burst a blood vessel if you keep shaking like that,” Miss Jenn warned, raising her eyebrows at.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sent her a smile but his nerves didn’t calm down. “I know but— I told Ricky to be back quick and it’s already been a few minutes. And he just went back to get a purse so how long could that take?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky’s a smart and strong kid,” Miss Jenn comforted, sitting next to Mike on the steps. “You don’t need to worry about him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Smart and strong’...he’s got some good teachers to thank for that, huh?” He teased, elbowing her playfully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Miss Jenn was about to reply when she noticed Mr. Bowen’s expression change, eyebrows knitting together in concern as he pressed the button for the comm inside of his ear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong?” she worried.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my God,” he muttered, getting up from where he was sitting frantically and attracting the attention of the group of teens sitting on the steps below. “Oh my God, Ricky!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Without any further explanation, the man ran up the stairs, ignoring the calls from Miss Jenn and the other students as he quickly made his way back inside the school.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Bowen!” Miss Jenn shouted, to no avail.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teens rose from where they were sitting, looking back at Thunderbolt in concern.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think is going on?” Seb wondered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think something happened to Ricky?” Gina asked with an edge to her tone, fists clenched and ready to fight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We have to go back and find out!” EJ said determinedly, about to follow Mr. Bowen when an arm reached out to stop him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn looked at her cousin incredulously, “We can’t just barge in there! What if there’s a giant battle going on and we get hit in the crossfire? Isn’t that the whole reason we’re all standing outside anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But what about Ricky?!” EJ argued.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky? What happened to Ricky?” Nini mumbled from beneath them, still tied up in Ashlyn’s vines.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kourtney lit up, bending down to check on her. “Nini! You’re awake!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So am I,” Big Red groaned, eyes drooped and voice groggy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kourtney crossed her arms over her chest as she sat in front of the pair while the rest of the teens looked at them expectantly. Nini and Big Red looked at each other confused until realization dawned on both of their faces.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, sorry for attacking you, Gina,” Nini cringed, flashing the girl an apologetic grin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gina put her nose in the air stubbornly, but mumbled out, “It’s whatever,” making EJ roll his eyes at how easily she forgave the girl. He gets kicked in the face for something he didn’t even do to her, meanwhile Gina instantly forgives the girl who knocked her out and stuffed her in a closet. Oh, the things a crush will make you do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kourtney raised her eyebrows in Big Red’s direction, prompting him to blurt, “Kourtney, I am so fucking sorry I love you so much you know I would never </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever </span>
  </em>
  <span>treat you like that if I wasn’t mind controlled, you’re such a queen and you don’t deserve what I did to you and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Carlos </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seb!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he babbled, turning to the two boys. “Oh my </span>
  <em>
    <span>goD</span>
  </em>
  <span> I have never felt so bad about hurting two people in my life I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry that I interrupted your moment honestly it was homophobic of me and </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kourtney</span>
  </em>
  <span> the racist undertones of my actions are just </span>
  <em>
    <span>despicable</span>
  </em>
  <span>—”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“SHUT UP!” they yelled, cutting off his tirade. “If I say I forgive you, will you </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boy nodded meekly before looking at Carlos and Seb with wide eyes and a pout. Carlos opened his mouth to form a sassy retort until Seb stopped him from saying anything to make Big Red feel worse. “It’s okay, Big Red! We know you couldn’t control what you were doing and didn’t mean anything, right?” the blonde boy reassured before looking at Carlos and urging him to agree. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Right</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The boy simply rolled his eyes before reluctantly grumbling out, “Yeah, right. Whatever.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyway</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” EJ piped up, bringing the attention back to him. “Can we go help Ricky now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We don’t even know if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>needs</span>
  </em>
  <span> our help, EJ,” Ashlyn countered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ok but if he hypothetically </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> need our help, would you guys rather sit here and wait to find out if everything’s okay? Or would you rather go back into the school and possibly help a friend who has been through enough already??”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The group all looked at each other around the circle, realizing EJ was right.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn groaned but her resolve crumbled. “Okay, fine. But we’re not going in there without a plan.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sometimes, Mike really hated himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could be blind to his own pride at times, blind to the needs of other people, blind to the obvious that was presented clearly right in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t believe how blind he’d been to this.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Almost 17 years and he hadn’t suspected a thing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But as soon as he saw Lynne from across the gym, Ricky at her feet as she paced around him, he couldn’t help but feel like suddenly everything made sense.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, look who finally decided to show up to the party!” she snarled, checking her nails and looking bored.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He began walking towards her slowly, grip tight on the scepter in his hand in anticipation of her attack. He had fought by her side for years, but nothing could prepare him for the things she might have up her sleeve. “How could you do this to us, Lynne? Your own family...” he asked through gritted teeth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>act like all of this isn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>your </span>
  </em>
  <span>fault, Mike!” she screeched back, fuming as they got closer to each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you even talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I forced myself to marry such an </span>
  <em>
    <span>idiot</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” Lynne mumbled under her breath, rubbing her temples before bellowing, “Can’t you see? I tricked you! I got into your head and made you forget what I looked like as Shadowglare. I erased that version of myself from your </span>
  <em>
    <span>stupid</span>
  </em>
  <span> brain and instead turned her into the girl of your dreams. I fooled you into falling in love with me! And what a fool you are, for getting yourself into this situation!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She paced around the room as she spoke and Mike watched her like a hawk, trying to piece together all that she was saying. “Why, then? Why is it my fault?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO CATACLYSMIC! Look at him, locked up in jail with those ugly scars all over his body that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> gave him! And </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> were supposed to be the villains in that situation?? While you walk around scot-free as if you didn’t almost incinerate another human being?” she screams at him, eyes darting around wildly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was I supposed to do?!? You’re punishing me for hurting </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person who was trying to hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>thousands</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He wasn’t just </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> person!” she shouted, levitating up in the air and looking down at Mike with red in her eyes. “He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> person!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> person! And so are you for everything you’ve done just to get back at me. Look around you! Look at all the destruction you’ve caused; look at what you’ve done to our son, his friends!” Thunderbolt’s grip tightened on the scepter as he looked at his ex-wife looming above him, her dark red cape billowing behind her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shadowglare’s hair began levitating as her anger rose, the dark brown strands morphing into glowing crimson as the red in her eyes overtook the brown orbs, giving her a devilish aura.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“All of this destruction will have been worth it if I get the justice I deserve!” she let out with finality, using her telekinesis to lift up the shattered debris from the dance and hurl them in Mike’s direction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mike closed his eyes, ready to be hit and mustering his powers to retaliate when the impact never came. He opened his eyes in confusion as he saw the debris floating in midair, when he turned as he heard a voice yell out from behind him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Surprise, bitch! You’re not the only telekinetic in the house tonight!” Carlos gloated with a smirk on his face, arm outstretched as he held the debris in midair.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Behind him stood the other teens: EJ with his arms crossed over his chest and his jaw held high in defiance; Ashlyn, her long, green dress now ripped and shortened to the knees as a vine wrapped around her arm; Nini, summoning her forcefield energy as she looked at Lynne with resentment in her eyes; Kourtney next to her, golden beams of light in both hands, ready to throw at any given moment; Big Red behind her, his legs stretch high to make him the tallest in the room; Gina, now changed into her professional assassin gear: a dark purple bodysuit faceted with an assortment of weapons on her belt and bright pink pointe shoes on her feet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And, of course, Seb. Except instead of Seb, a Gelada Baboon sat on the floor next to Carlos, tugging on the other boy’s pant leg and scratching its armpit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you guys think you’re doing here?!” Mike whispered yelled to the kids.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Saving </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> ass, apparently,” Carlos muttered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shadowglare laughed maniacally, staring the teens down. “You stupid kids made a big mistake coming he—”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her tirade, however, was cut off as the debris flew in her direction, knocking her into the glass windows of the gym and bringing her to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oops. Sorry not sorry,” Carlos shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” a groggy voice from across the gym mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ricky!” EJ gasped, running towards the younger boy as he began to regain consciousness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the group, as well as Mr. Bowen followed EJ's heel, gathering around Ricky to make sure he was okay as he sat up.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you okay?” Mike asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky looked at his father incredulous as his brain started the function normally and he remembered what had happened in the past hour, “Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh...no. But we can deal with our emotional trauma later.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There won’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> a later!” Shadowglare shrieked, rising from the deris and summoning red balls of energy in her fists. “Because I’m going to kill </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> of you! I’m going to make sure none of you stupid kids get out of here alive.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ stood from where he was comforting Ricky and glared at Shadowglare defiantly. “Give it up already! There’s more of us than there are of you. You’ll never win against a team of this many people.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shadowglare laughed cruelly, a terrifying smirk spreading across her face, “Oh, you think you outnumber me? How about now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The group gasped as hundreds of identical Shadowglares appeared throughout the gym, apparitions from the villain’s mind surrounding them. The real Lynne flew down to the ground and immersed herself in the crowd, rendering it impossible to know which Shadowglare was the true one.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, shit,” Kourtney mumbled as the Shadowglares around them laughed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Still think you can beat me?” one of them piped up from the crowd, hand full of red energy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What about me?” another yelled, flying up from the ground on the other side of the room and making the group turn in her direction.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teens gasped as a ball of red energy flew in their direction, ducking as it travelled a different side of the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their heads whipped when they heard cackling, “Which one of us threw that, you think?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Was it me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Or me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How ‘bout me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Big Red brought his hands to his hair and breathed out desperately, “Jesus Christ, I’m just a sidekick I can’t do this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it! We can do this, we just have to work together!” Mike pulled the teens together in a huddle as the hundreds of Shadowglares began closing in on them. “She’s done this trick with me before. It’s not about how many different versions of her there are. The only one that can do real damage is the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> Shadowglare. The others are just there to get you off your game and distract you so she can get to the real target. If we work together we can get rid of the extras. All you have to do is not let her get into your head. She’ll probably change up the hallucination to make it personal to you but just remember: it’s not real.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know all of this?” Gina asked curiously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mike huffed as they all put their hands in the middle. “Unfortunately, she’s still my wife. Let’s break!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, the heroes turned. Ready for battle.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>lmao sorry yall wanted the big battle but that'll be next chapter mwah xx</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. when your fear's near, you don't wanna get closer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry this took so long but not that sorry hehehe thanks for being patient yall</p>
<p>title from 'invincible' by amine</p>
<p>also rj content be kinda...good lately? we rly do be seeing hella updates lately thank god bc that shit was dry</p>
<p>anyway shoutout to the clowns. yall know who u are.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Kourtney didn’t want to say she was better than anyone or anything but…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All the Lynne replicas she was fighting were lying unconscious on the ground beside her in a heap as she dusted her hands off from her fight. It was too easy; she never let anyone get in her head so all she had to do was use her powers to shine at her highest luminous efficacy (</span>
  <span>98 000 lux also known as how bright the sun is) and blind the doppelgangers around her. She watched as the defeated heap in front of her disappeared and looked around the gym to see most of the team still fighting. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was her natural fighting ability or her quick instincts. Or maybe it was just because she really did shine above the rest. Maybe it was a combination of all three of those things. She didn’t know. But she knew that she had finished fighting her opponents in five minutes, so maybe, just maybe, she was just a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little </span>
  </em>
  <span>bit better than everyone else.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kourtney let out a sigh as she watched EJ get kicked in the face repeatedly and Carlos get tripped. You’d think going to a high school that was supposed to hone your super skills would make people better fighters, but alas.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She shook her head but figured she should probably go help them. Sometimes she hated being the most competent person in the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Across the gym, Gina was fighting her own set of doppelgangers with ease, her assassin and sparring skills coming in handy. She wished she had </span>
  <em>
    <span>actual</span>
  </em>
  <span> powers however, because she would much rather get this shit over with by blinding the five Lynne’s she was battling instead of having to turn this way and that way to be able to knock them down before they could grab her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like Kourtney, she was good at not letting people get inside her head; had learned how to fight it off when she was trained in Paris, and was taught to never let anyone get too close. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Se battre d'abord, se sentir second,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Agent Rocheleau always said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fight first, feel second.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was usually very good at doing that. But she had let her guard down with Nini earlier and was beating herself up over it. She wasn’t going to let herself be so stupid again in front of these Walmart-Lynne-Bowens, so she did a tour en l’air and gracefully kicked the last Shadowglare she was fighting straight in the face and knocked her out. Gina felt nothing as she watched the bodies around her disappear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Se battre d'abord, se sentir second.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Force Fields might've been a good way to block things out physically, but they were a lot more useless when trying to block people from entering your mind.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You’d think Nini would be better at it by now, but it was still a difficult task as she blocked another red ball of energy from hitting her. She turned herself invisible as another ball of energy came her way, dodging the attacks as the doppelganger’s around her shot in every which way trying to hit her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, Nini! You’re really gonna run away from all your problems like this?” one of them taunted her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought that was Ricky’s job!” another sneered and that was it for Nini.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was tired of it. She liked to hide, to shrink herself, to block herself from all the problems around her. But she was done hurting Ricky and she was done standing around as terrible things happened. Although she was mind controlled, she still had some part in it and her conscience knew that if she wanted to repay him, she needed to stand her ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was weird, fighting Lynne. She had been like a mother to Nini at times; always caring and warm and sweet to her because she was Ricky’s friend. And to think it was all an act. It made something inside her boil deep with anger; an anger so hot and wild and maybe now she understood how Ricky’s powers were triggered by strong emotions. At the thoughts of how she hurt Ricky and the thoughts of Lynne hurting him and the thoughts of how Ricky would be hurt for a long time after this battle—no matter how easily his injuries would heal—she felt her powers stir inside of her, unlocking something so strong that she didn’t even know existed within herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>LEAVE. RICKY. ALONE!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> she screamed. At the same time, she conjured up the strongest force field she’s ever created, a giant, ultraviolet burst of energy that spanned dozens of feet and blasted every doppelganger around her into the walls of the gym, knocking them out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nini huffed out a large breath, exhausted from the exertion of using her powers. She dropped to the ground in a heap, wrapping her arms around herself and turning invisible.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the locker rooms, a vine shot out and pinned a Shadowglare against the wall, wrapping itself around the doppelganger’s neck and choking her until she disappeared.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah, sure. Ashlyn was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>pacifist</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She used to think war and fighting and violence were unjustifiable, especially if one had powers; an advantage over the rest. She liked to use her powers to grow pumpkins in the fall; to make the flowers on the willow tree next to her house blossom; to grow herbs in her backyard so she could make calming chamomile tea. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But sometimes, one had to forego their morals for the greater good. So maybe she wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>a pacifist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ashlyn raised her arms, breaking through the wooden floors of the gym and conjuring roots from the ground. She made sure to summon the roughest ones she could sense; hard, black, and tough, with sharp thorns. With all her might, she sent them in the direction of the doppelganger’s around her, cutting into them and ripping them to shreds.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was glad they weren’t real or she would’ve been more concerned about the blood all over the gym floor. Thankfully it all disappeared in a matter of seconds.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yeah. She was a pacifist.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On another side of the gym, Seb was now a Rhinoceros and launching himself into a crowd of replicas, tackling them down to the ground. He was struggling to keep his anamorphic form, however, as the multiple Shadowglares got inside his head.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What are you even doing here?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You weren’t even good enough to get into the Hero Program.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re just like the livestock you raise for slaughter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Carlos fought alongside him, trying his best to use his own telekinesis to fend off Shadowglare’s mind control but struggling as well as she was more experienced in her craft.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Give up! You’ll never have the control you want in your life.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You’re too weak to even come out to your parents</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You think you’re strong enough to fight off my control?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Above them, EJ was riding a tall wave, shooting sharp shards of ice and aiming them to freeze the doppelganger’s on his tail but continually missing as Shadowglare got inside his head. He threw a stream of water at one of the replicas, wrapping them in the rushing stream and incapacitating them when suddenly the Shadowglare EJ was holding morphed into Ricky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He gasped as the fake Ricky he was holding screamed at him, tears streaming down his face, “This is all your fault! I can’t believe you’d do this to me!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not real…” he reminded himself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate </span>
  </em>
  <span>you. I’ll never forgive you. You expect me to love you after what you did to me?” the Ricky sobbed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In his distraction, the Shadowglare disguised as Ricky was able to conjure up red energy and break out of the swift stream of water. Before EJ could react, the grotesque image of the fake Ricky morphing back into Shadowglare hit the boy with the ball of energy and knocked him to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The real Ricky and Thunderbolt were fighting side by side, Mr. Bowen deflecting Lynne’s attacks with her own scepter and Ricky trying his best to keep the doppelganger’s around them at bay with his streams of fire. Where his father was experienced in keeping Lynne out of his head, Ricky wasn’t used to it, struggling to fight back the intrusive thoughts and images she was presenting to him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky was ready to aim another fireball at a replica when the copy shifted into a fake EJ, sneering at him as he avoided Ricky’s advances. The younger boy shook his head, willing himself to remember that none of it was real, but the smirk on the fake EJ’s face reminded him a little too much of the smirk EJ wore when he broke up with Ricky that morning…</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, stop fighting it already, would you? We both know what you have to do to end this,” the copy snarled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky tried his best to bite his tongue, knowing that a clapback was exactly what his mom wanted, but he was too curious to know what the replica had meant. “What do you mean? What do I have to do to end this?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t act stupid, baby…” fake EJ whispered, stepping closer to Ricky with slow steps until their noses were inches apart. He leant down, whispering in the younger boy’s ear, “Join us, Ricky. You’re fighting this battle on the losing team.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’ll never fight with you!” Ricky said, backing away as the EJ morphed before his eyes, bones cracking and growing in size as the hallucination seized, turning into a giant spider with his mom’s head. He screamed, bile rising in his throat as the spider ran towards him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Ricky, what’s wrong!? I thought you liked Mommy more than Daddy? You’re just gonna throw away all the memories we made over the past few years? That’s not something a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good son would do!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky crawled backwards as quick as he could to get away from the grotesque monster, its fangs jutting out and reaching to taste his blood. His back hit the wall of the gym and he clamped his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face as he prepared for the incoming pain.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But instead of pain he heard an ear piercing scream and a large bang. Ricky opened his eyes and he gasped as rather than a horrifying spider in front of him, a woman clad in shining red, dark chocolate hair and short red dress blowing in the wind stood in front of him, arms crossed over her chest as she smirked down at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God, are the women really gonna be the ones doing all the work here?” Scarlet Siren, also known as </span>
  <em>
    <span>the </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gabriella Montez, challenged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s mouth gaped open as he looked upon the iconic superhero in awe, his wonder only rising as the rest of the women of the W.I.L.D.C.A.T.s strutted up behind her, rigged out in full superhero gear.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You sound surprised, S</span>
  <span>2</span>
  <span>,” Taylor McKessie, better known as Centrifuge replied snarkily, rolling her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pink Robin, also known as Sharpay Evans, scoffed, hand on her hip. “Yeah, Gab, you should know by now that men wouldn’t be able to get anything done without </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Specifically, me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Heyyy, let’s not be too hard on him. He’s just a kid!” Kelsi, super speedster Allegro, piped up, hands behind her back before gently pointing at Ricky on the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Nurse Martha beamed, stepping out from behind the rest of the women, dressed in her Brainiac supersuit. “Go easy on him, he only got his powers recently.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy shit…” Ricky mumbled in awe, eyes wide in wonder as he blinked up at the women.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my God, they’re all even hotter in real life,” Gina whispered to Kourtney beside her, trying her best to hide her excitement at seeing all of her idols in one room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Agent Montez reached out a hand to Ricky with a warm smile, “C’mon Mini Thunderbolt, this fight isn’t over yet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The younger boy could barely speak as he hesitantly took her hand and was pulled back to his feet. Just then the rest of the Wildcats as well as Miss Jenn and Mr. Mazzara, clad in their iconic superhero gear, appeared beside the other young heroes, making a heroic entrance; Chad Danforth, the Gamechanger, throwing a basketball grenade in the air as he stood beside Sharpay’s twin brother Ryan, the Visionary, as he adjusted his laser controlling glasses. Next to him was Zeke Baylor better known as the Carmelizer, adjusting the knives strapped to the belt on his hip.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At the forefront of the group, however, was the man, myth, and legend himself: Agent Troy Bolton, suited up in his Sharpshooter suit, dark red and strong Wildcats emblem shining on his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, people say I look like him,” EJ whispered, leaning into Carlos’ space as they recovered from Shadowglare’s attacks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No one says that,” Ashlyn deadpanned, rolling her eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I kinda see it,” Seb comforted, patting EJ on the shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A loud explosion brought the group of heroes out of their lighthearted moment. They turned in the direction of the blast, shielding their eyes from the bright glow as molten lava began spilling through the wooden floors of the gym, lighting the old oak on fire as the magma overtook it. A glowing figure that seemed to be made of the lava rose from smoke, overpowering and taking up the space at the front of the large glass windows of the gym.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shadowglare appeared as the figure grew larger and larger, reverted back to her human form and eyes glowing the brightest scarlet as she snarled at the group of heroes maniacally.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you think the fight was over? Because it’s just getting started!” the reality warper screeched, hair floating wildly in all directions.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As she spoke, her doppelgangers reappeared around the gym and the figure behind her became clearer, a familiar scarred face showing through the piping lava.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No…” Mike whispered as he recognized the person conjuring the molten lava.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It can’t be,” Miss Jenn mumbled as she took in the sight in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Mazzara removed his goggles to get a clearer view, eyes wide in shock. “But...I thought he was at Belle Reve?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Surprise! While you all were distracted by those stupid kids, I had a little time to get an old friend out of jail,” Shadowglare cackled. The heroes put their defenses up, getting ready for another battle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The deformed face of Todd revealed itself through the flames, the lava hardening around his body. The magma turned into blackened rock, broken and showing the flowing lava underneath his skin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man made of magma sneered as he took in the heroes standing before him. “Mmm. Nice to see some old faces in this crowd…” Cataclysmic drawled. His eyes landed on Ricky, eyes glowing with fire as he looked the teen up and down, making the boy shudder. Despite the heat radiating from the man, his glare was still cold. “And some new faces, too. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Ricky.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All eyes shot to the fire wielder, his own eyebrows creased in confusion.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man laughed, a sinister tone that rang through the gym. “Aww, you don’t remember those visits, do you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Ricky said quietly, jaw clenched in fear as the man traveled closer to him, wading through the melted lava slowly. He stood just a feet away from Ricky, eyes boring into the young boy’s soul.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon Ricky, haven’t you ever wondered who you got your </span>
  <em>
    <span>fire</span>
  </em>
  <span> powers from?” Todd sneered, conjuring a tiny flame in his hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ricky’s vision blurred at the sight, his chest seizing and breaths coming out in short puffs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Stop it,” he choked out, lump forming in his throat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no way…” Mike whispered, eyes wide like saucers as he looked between the boy and the man made of lava.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised,” Shadowglare screeched at her ex-husband, eye twitching and mouth forming a cruel smirk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man shot her a glare, bringing down a startling bolt of lightning onto her and shocking her, making her seize and collapse onto the ground. Miss Jenn appeared beside him, holding Mike back from inflicting anymore damage as Lynne just laughed at him, spitting blood on the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How could you do this to him?! How could you be so evil!” Mike screamed, trying to break out of Miss Jenn’s grasp.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>STOP IT!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ricky yelled, sobbing as Cataclysmic got up in his face. “You’re lying! You’re lying! You can’t be…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>EJ grabbed the younger boy’s hand in a tight grip, grounding him as the hot tears streamed down Ricky’s face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, but I am, Ricky.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Todd rose from the lava, high up in the air as fire began burning around him and magma flowed out from his body, making him grow larger and larger in size until he filled almost the entire front of the gym. He smiled down at the teen, eyes burning and void of all humanity.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am,” Cataclysmic repeated, bringing a hand up beside him and conjuring up a stream of piping hot lava, moving his hand to aim it at the heroes below him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am your father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>o_o</p>
<p>surprise but who's really surprised</p>
<p>anyway i honest to god feel like nothing about this chapter makes sense but hey at lest im updating lmfao</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. update</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>tw // sexual assault, mental illness</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>hey everyone, you're probably wondering if i died. i'd usually say something like "i wish" but i'm trying to be more positive soooo. i'm not gonna do that lmao</p>
<p>anyway as you can probably see, i haven't updated this story in a while. i haven't uploaded anything for this fandom in a hot second (or maybe i did on a different account 👀 and yall just didnt know lmao).</p>
<p>just getting right into it, i'm probably not going to be updating this fic anymore. either that or i'm just gonna go on a really long hiatus. like really long. one direction hiatus long.</p>
<p>i started writing for this fandom as a way to cope with the trauma of being sexually assaulted. writing rj has been a large source of joy and the people ive met; the friends i've made have all helped me in my way to recovery. i tried to reclaim hsmtmts from someone who decided to play this show i once loved in the background of what they did to me. it worked for a little while.</p>
<p>sadly, reclamation is not enough. honestly, everytime i think of this show i just can't help but think about what happened to me. sometimes its easy to ignore it, sometimes its not. its been a lot harder to ignore recently. just another reason why i haven't updated besides other reasons; school, work, depression, lack of motivation due to online class and most recently- the fucking election. basically. im just fucking stressed.</p>
<p>it also doesn't help to know that ive come to find that some of my readers are old ass people reading smut about teenagers. that...just makes me uncomfortable LMFAO, not to mention said old people/person decided to leave some nasty comments on my works &lt;3 but honestly that bridge is burned and life goes on so i pray for them and wish them a lifetime of good spirits and prosperity or whatever idk we're all gonna die anyway read some underage smut if you want ya fucking weirdos🤪</p>
<p>so for those reasons, not that im even obligated to give anyone a reason for not updating, im just gonna take a step back from this work. i love all of you that have left wonderful and supportive comments on this work and all others that ive put out. it really means a lot and im grateful that i got to make some people happy in this fucked up time we're living in. i appreciate every single one of you. im sorry if im disappointing you by abandoning this work this far. i want to say that you should stay on the lookout for me, but honestly, i dont want to get your hopes up. you shouldnt expect too much out of me.</p>
<p>peace, love, &amp; blessings,<br/>caia</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>playlist based on this fic: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3eyczMk03IJUi3w8ymTnCa?si=HuZX4cC9RbCX74LE-1pJrw</p></blockquote></div></div>
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